Must Be Magic
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: Hogwarts AU, icecat style.
1. Chapter 1

**Must Be Magic**

Newly minted Ravenclaw Kitty Pryde made her way through the halls of Hogwarts. She was looking for the Transfiguration classroom, which would be her very first class. To say she was excited was an understatement.

Kitty still couldn't quite believe that the answer to all the strange incidents she'd had over the years were because she was really a witch, but she supposed it did make sense. From the moment Professor Grey had arrived at her house and sat down to explain, Kitty had looked forward to school.

Kitty only wished that Professor Grey had included a map with all the other pamphlets and documents she'd given her. As she walked, Kitty looked around eagerly. If there was one thing the small brunette loved, it was figuring out a good puzzle. From what little she had seen of the castle so far, it would provide plenty of mysteries for her.

She came to the door with the number that matched the one printed on her schedule. The door was shut, but that didn't mean she couldn't try it to see if it was unlocked. Kitty was sure that her fellow Ravenclaw would understand her desire to learn. No one here would insult her for being the "teacher's pet" or any of the other insults she'd heard so many times at her old school.

Before she could get to the door, however, someone shoved her hard from behind. Kitty, caught off guard, stumbled and fell to the ground. Her books scattered around her.

"Mudblood."

The unfamiliar word echoed in Kitty's head. She stared after the boy, noting his cruel laughter as he walked away with his friends. She only caught a glimpse of his face, not enough to positively identify him. However, Kitty did note his robes were trimmed in the green and silver of Slytherin.

Someone touched her elbow. Kitty glanced up to see a boy, a little older than her perhaps, kneeling beside her. His icy blue eyes were narrowed at the boy who had shoved her. "I have class with him later this week," the boy told her. "I'll get him for you then."

Kitty couldn't think of anything to say. The boy looked at her for the first time, smiling now. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine." She reached for the closest book to her and picked it up, dusting off the cover with a frown. "Mudblood" was still swirling in her mind. "He called me something," Kitty added. "Mudblood? I don't know what it means." She chewed her bottom lip, a terrible habit that she had never been able to break.

A shadow seemed to pass over her companion's face. "It means he's a narrow minded idiot," the blond boy told her. "We're not all like that. I promise." He smiled again and handed her the Charms textbook that had fallen in front of him. "I'm Bobby. You're Katherine, right? I remember seeing you at the Sorting."

The petite brunette felt her cheeks warm. She didn't think anyone had ever said anything like that to her before. "Kitty, actually. My family calls me Kitty."

"Kitty," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you," Bobby added, politely. "I hope the rest of your day is better."

"Come on, Drake!" another voice shouted. Bobby glanced up at the sound and he nodded at the boy who had called him.

He handed Kitty her last book – Potions – and got to his feet. "I'll be there in a minute, James," Bobby called to the other boy. He offered her a hand and Kitty took it without hesitation. As he helped her up, she noticed for the first time that his robes bore a lion emblem and red and gold trim – a Gryffindor. Of course.

"Bye, Kitty," Bobby said before going to join his friend, who was now watching them with a bored expression on his features. The older boys took off together, with Bobby sparing her a glance over his shoulder.

The Ravenclaw girl was still trying to make sense of this when she was joined by fellow first year Clarice. "I saw what happened," the other girl said. "Tomorrow you should wait for me, okay?"

Kitty was a bit surprised by this but she managed a smile. "Okay," she agreed.

Professor Grey arrived just as the rest of their classmates did. Kitty followed Clarice and settled in at a desk in the middle of the room. "That Gryffindor boy," Clarice started as she took her Transfiguration book out of her bag, "the one who helped you. He's cute."

She felt her cheeks turn pink again. "Yeah," she said, faintly. "He is."

Clarice fished a bottle of emerald green ink from her bag. "He likes you," she teased in a singsong voice.

"He doesn't even know me," Kitty protested.

This didn't seem to bother Clarice. "Maybe he wants to," she whispered as Professor Grey took her place at the front of the room and began her lecture.

It was different here, Kitty decided as she listened to Professor Grey talk. And not just because of the magic and witchcraft. Apparently, she already had a friend in Clarice and – according to the other girl – maybe someone who wanted to know her. A very _cute _someone; Clarice was right about that.

Yeah. Things were different here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby Drake was a little nervous.

It was the morning of his first ever Quidditch match as Keeper of the Gryffindor team. He knew he really shouldn't be because he'd been playing Quidditch his whole life and he had made the team for a reason. He put in the time for practice, and all of his teammates assured him he was going to do great.

But on the other hand, they were playing the Slytherin team. Bobby knew all about the long rivalry between his house and Slytherin. He did not want to be the one who messed everything up.

"You should eat something," James commented on his left. "You aren't going to do anyone any good if you pass out and fall from your broom."

"Thanks," Bobby grumbled, reaching for a piece of toast.

James nudged him. "Hey, your girlfriend is coming to see you play." The other boy pointed over at the Ravenclaw table at a petite first year. Kitty Pryde was sitting with her friend – Bobby was pretty sure her name was Clarice – and both of the younger girls were indeed dressed for the cold weather.

Bobby shoved his friend in retaliation. "She's not my girlfriend," he protested. He'd only talked to her once, and that was because he'd caught John Allerdyce bullying her. Bobby was a Gryffindor through and through. He couldn't stand seeing anyone being picked on. Bobby was the black sheep of his family in that regard.

"That's why you're still looking over at her," retorted James.

The blond boy immediately turned his attention back to his toast. He was pretty sure his face was red.

He finished his toast and got up from the table. The rest of the Gryffindor team was on their way down to the locker rooms. Bobby slowly pulled on his protective pads and scarlet team robes before removing his broom from his locker. He could hear excited chatter as the stadium filled up.

"You okay, Drake?" his captain asked. "Not gonna let anything through, right?"

"No," Bobby answered, trying to sound confident in himself.

The older boy nodded approvingly before gesturing to Bobby and the other players to follow him down to the field. The Slytherin team was already waiting. Bobby was not pleased to see that John Allerdyce had made the Slytherin team as a Beater. The other boy smirked at Bobby. Behind Professor Howlett, who was acting as referee, the Slytherin raised his bat and pointed at Bobby with it.

In the stands the crowd cheered. Professor Howlett ordered the captains to shake hands before blowing his whistle to signal the start of the game.

The beginning of the game was a bit of a blur for Bobby. Gryffindor won possession of the Quaffle immediately, so all the action was down at the opposite end of the field. He circled the goalposts and spotted Kitty and her friend in the stands right behind him, easily visible because of Clarice's vibrantly purple hair. For some reason, this fact brought a smile to Bobby's face.

Gryffindor scored the first goal, which helped him relax a little. The Slytherin Keeper was awful – within another five minutes Gryffindor had scored another two goals.

A Slytherin came into possession of the Quaffle and all of a sudden everyone was headed towards Bobby. He braced himself as the Slytherin Chaser prepared to throw the Quaffle before diving sharply to his left. Bobby caught it, relieved, and tossed it to his closest teammate.

The Slytherins started playing harder. John, clearly annoyed by Bobby's save, whacked a Bludger towards him, which Bobby narrowly avoided being hit by. A Slytherin Chaser got hold of the Quaffle again and threw it hard at the middle goal. Bobby barely managed to block it. Around him, the stadium erupted into cheers.

The Snitch had been caught by the Gryffindor Seeker, Jubilation Lee. She did a victory lap around the stadium. The members of the Slytherin team landed and stalked off towards the locker rooms. The crowd was still cheering as the Gryffindors landed on the grass. Bobby felt someone clap him on the shoulder. "Good game." With the amount of people on the field, it was hard to tell who had said it.

Bobby decided he wasn't really ready to go back inside yet. It wasn't really against the rules if he went on a little ride around the grounds. If anyone did see him, he'd probably just get off with a warning.

He circled the grounds a few times, enjoying the sense of freedom that came with flying. As he got back to the stadium, ready to head inside, he noticed that someone had joined him. When Bobby got close enough to see who it was, he smiled.

It was Kitty, of course, still wearing her thick Ravenclaw scarf. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold. "Hi," she said, sounding shy. "I saw you fly past the common room a few times, so I thought…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly. "Um, good game. I mean, I don't know much about Quidditch, but it was interesting."

"I saw you in the stands," Bobby blurted. He felt his cheeks burn just as they had at breakfast that morning.

Kitty, however, smiled. "You're so nice," she said. The younger girl averted her gaze. "You always remember me."

She said it casually, like it wasn't important, but Bobby felt his heart hurt for her. He had a feeling she had been looked over a lot before coming here. That idea didn't sit well with the Gryffindor boy. He said the nicest thing he could think of.

"You stand out."

The Ravenclaw girl looked up, her cheeks pinker than ever. She smiled at this compliment. Bobby realized he hadn't seen her do that before today. Kitty had a nice smile. Nice eyes, too. Warm brown, like chocolate. "You know," the blond boy continued, taking a few steps back towards the castle, "there's a game next week. Hufflepuff is playing Ravenclaw. Maybe…if you want…"

"If I want what?" she asked, falling into step beside him.

Bobby glanced sideways at her, nervous now for a whole other reason. "Maybe we could sit together. I could teach you more. About Quidditch, I mean."

"I'd like that," Kitty replied sincerely. "I've been reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_, but I think some of it would make more sense if someone explained it to me."

This was pretty in line with Bobby knew about Ravenclaws – of course she had been reading to learn about a sport. "Sounds like a plan then," he said.

They continued to walk back up to the castle. "I'm glad you won," Kitty said, "and I'm looking forward to next week. But don't expect me to root for you when you play against Ravenclaw." The younger girl said this with a grin.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Bobby promised. "I wouldn't dream of it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Must Be Magic**

Kitty watched the snow fall in awe.

It wasn't that she had never seen snow before, because she had. She'd grown up with snow. But here at Hogwarts…well, it was a whole different story.

She wondered if it was a cliche to call it magical.

The snow covered the grounds completely. Outside of the outer corridor, it had not been marred by footprints. In the distance, Kitty could just make out the lake that had been frozen over. Back home, the lake would have been the perfect size for ice skating, but the tiny Ravenclaw hadn't seen anyone do that here. She supposed it was not the kind of activity many wizards and witches did.

Her school bag was slung over one shoulder. It was Christmas break now and Kitty was looking forward to the thought of having the library mostly to herself. Most of the students seemed to have gone home for the holidays. Of course, Kitty didn't celebrate Christmas and had encouraged her parents to go away for their anniversary, telling them she'd much prefer to stay at school.

She'd meant to get to the library by now and get some reading in before lunch, but she'd gotten distracted by the view.

As the first year girl turned to go inside, she found herself face to face with Bobby.

"I thought that was you," he said, grinning. "Why didn't you go home for Christmas?"

"Well I'm Jewish for one," Kitty informed him. "And you know me, I couldn't resist the thought of that empty library." Bobby's grin only widened at this statement. But she had a question for him, too. "Why didn't _you_ go home?"

He made a face. "Are you kidding? My parents took my brother to spend the holidays with my grandparents. Even schoolwork is better than _that_."

Kitty didn't know anything about Bobby's family aside from the fact that the Drakes were one of the oldest pureblood families in the wizarding world. She'd done a bit of research on her own — she wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing — and she knew that they were one of those old fashioned families who looked down on Muggleborns.

But_ Bobby_ wasn't like that. The brunette girl remembered very well what he had told her that first day. _"We're not all like that."_ So far, he hadn't given her any reason to doubt that.

"I was going to the library too," Bobby continued. "I got Professor McCoy to give me an extension on the last Potions essay of the term but I need to finish it today."

Kitty wondered just how he had managed that. Professor McCoy expected a lot of his students, which of course for Kitty meant that he was one of her favorite teachers. She was always willing to go above and beyond when it came to school.

"So I'll come with you?" Bobby asked hopefully.

Kitty bobbed her head. The younger girl was happy to have the cold to blame her pink cheeks on. She didn't know why Bobby seemed to have singled her out, but she loved that he had. It was flattering to have the attention to say the least. And he was always so _nice_…

As they walked, she fished a Starburst from her sweater pocket. Bobby looked at her curiously.

"Muggle candy?" he asked.

She nodded again. "My parents sent me a care package before the end of term. Do you want one?"

"Yes," he decided. Kitty reached into her pocket a second time and came out with a cherry flavored candy, which she offered to her companion.

Kitty watched as the older boy peeled back the waxy paper and popped the candy into his mouth. He chewed, looking thoughtful.

"How do they do that?" Bobby asked once he had swallowed. "So much flavor in such a tiny square."

A grin found its way to Kitty's features. "Muggles have their ways," she told him. "These are my favorite Muggle candies. These and Kit Kats."

"What's a Kit Kat?" Bobby wanted to know.

"It's a candy bar," she explained. "It's kind of a family joke. It was a nickname of mine when i was younger." The petite brunette rummaged through her bag for the miniature candy she knew was in there somewhere. "You can have it if you want."

Bobby looked unsure. "It's not your last one, is it?" he asked.

"It is, but I can always get more," Kitty replied. She pressed the candy into Bobby's hand.

He accepted her offer and his face brightened. "Hang on," the Gryffindor boy said. He reached into his own bag. After a moment, he pulled out a Chocolate Frog. "This is _my_ last one," he announced. "Now we're even."

Kitty took the candy gladly. It might just have been a Chocolate Frog, but sharing like this was the kind of thing friends did. Friends weren't something Kitty had had a lot of experience with before Hogwarts.

The younger girl pulled open her Chocolate Frog and examined the card. That was always her favorite part of having a Chocolate Frog. The card was of Morgana, who Kitty did not have in her small collection. She studied the back for a moment before carefully tucking it into her bag.

"You know," Bobby told her as they rounded a corner, "when I was little, all I wanted was to be on a Chocolate Frog card."

She grinned. "Really?"

Bobby nodded. "They only pick really great witches and wizards to be on them, you know. When I was five it seemed like a good goal," he answered. "Maybe when I'm an Auror," he added, sounding the tiniest bit wistful.

She tilted her head to one side. "What's an Auror?" she asked. That wasn't a term she'd come across before.

They had reached the library. Bobby held the door for her, which Kitty thought was sweet. He followed after her. "An Auror is someone who catches Dark wizards," the older boy explained in a whisper as they wove their way through the shelves. "Kind of like…I think Muggles call it a police officer."

Kitty hadn't realized such a thing existed in the Wizarding world, but she supposed it made sense. And Bobby wanted to be one of them…

"And what made you decide to do that?" she found herself asking.

Bobby didn't answer right away. Kitty wondered if it was too personal a question. There was an apology on the tip of her tongue, but just as she was about to utter it, Bobby spoke.

"I'm from an old family," he said slowly, "and they believe all that garbage about blood purity. And ever since I was old enough to understand that, I've been fighting it. I don't think that kind of thing should matter. Aurors help keep people safe and that's another thing my family looks down on. They think they're above that kind of work."

Kitty frowned. She couldn't begin to imagine the kind of people who'd look down on a profession like that. No wonder Bobby wanted to be the opposite of everything they had taught him to be.

They found a table to work at. Kitty put her bag down on one of the chairs before going to examine the books. With the hundreds of tomes available, she didn't know how she would ever be able to choose.

Bobby followed after her. "I just don't want people to hear my name and think I'm like my family, because I'm not. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it makes sense," Kitty agreed as she ran her index finger down the spine of _Hogwarts, A History_. She'd been dying to get her hands on a copy for ages. She removed it from the shelf and pressed it against her chest.

She glanced over at Bobby, who still hadn't left her side. He looked worried, like he wasn't sure she believed him. "I like you," the older boy said, "and I like talking to you, and I don't care that you're a Muggleborn. I hope you know that."

"I _do_ know that, Bobby," Kitty told him softly. "And I think it's very Gryffindor of you to want to be an Auror," she added with a grin.

He returned it. "Well, I think it's very Ravenclaw of you to be checking out _Hogwarts, A History_." Bobby stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

Kitty gave him a gentle push in retaliation. "Shush. Don't you have an essay to finish?" she questioned.

"That's what I get for being friends with a Ravenclaw," Bobby groaned. "Homework reminders." But he smiled at her after he said it and Kitty was sure that he meant it in a good way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby looked for Kitty anxiously. He was supposed to be going down to the village to catch the train home for Easter, but he didn't want to leave for the break without giving Kitty her Easter egg first.

It had taken him awhile to decide if they were even good enough friends to exchange gifts. Sharing candy was one thing but specifically buying a gift for her was another. And it was different buying a present for a girl than it was for a boy. He'd been friends with James for years; they'd grown up together. Giving him a gift wasn't something Bobby had ever had to think twice about. But Kitty, on the other hand…

And since he had finally come to the conclusion that it wasn't a big deal, that it shouldn't be a big deal, he was anxious to give her the Easter egg and get it all over with.

He was starting to get worried that he'd missed her. Maybe she'd had breakfast early and had already claimed a table in the library to study at. The end of year exams were coming up and Bobby knew his Ravenclaw friend was going to be spending most of her free time studying. He wondered if he had time to run over to the library…

The Gryffindor boy knew James was waiting for him on the train. He hadn't told his friend that he had a present for Kitty because he knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it if he did. James still liked to tease him about Kitty being his girlfriend. It wasn't mean spirited or anything, just the way guys teased each other. But Bobby had a feeling James wouldn't let that one go without making a few digs.

Finally, Bobby spotted Kitty and her friend Clarice coming down the staircase. Not for the first time Bobby was grateful for the vivid purple hair Clarice always sported. It made her stand out, no doubt about that. And he could count on the fact that Kitty was nearly always with her fellow Ravenclaw.

The second year boy saw that Clarice nudged Kitty when they spotted him near the Great Hall. Kitty elbowed her friend in the ribs, brown eyes narrowed, cheeks brilliantly pink. If Bobby had to guess, Kitty heard the same kind of remarks from Clarice that he heard from James.

Kitty and Clarice stopped in front of him. Clarice looked as if she wanted to listen to the conversation, but Kitty shooed her away. "I'll catch up," she promised. The other Ravenclaw shot the brunette a disappointed look but retreated into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Kitty watched her friend leave, shaking her head. "So nosy," she muttered, but she smiled to herself as she said it. Then she turned to him. "Morning, Bobby," she greeted. "I thought you were going home for Easter?"

"I am," he replied, "but I wanted to give you something first."

Kitty ducked her head in that shy way of hers. "I have something for you, too," she informed him.

Bobby hadn't expected that. He was pleased though. It was nice to know that Kitty thought they were good enough friends to exchange presents and that he wasn't about to make everything really weird between them.

He reached into the inside pocket of his robes and pulled out the chocolate Easter egg. It was wrapped in cellophane and attached in a separate packet was a Ravenclaw eagle pin. He'd ordered it from a Honeydukes owl order catalogue someone had left in the common room.

Bobby offered it to her, feeling shy again. Kitty took it, smiling at him again, and as she examined it she started to laugh.

Like he didn't feel self-conscious enough, Bobby thought miserably.

"What?" he asked.

Kitty opened her school bag and began to look through it. "It's just that I got you the same one."

Relief flooded through the blond boy. "You got me an Easter egg with a Ravenclaw pin?" he asked, grinning.

She paused in her search to look at him. "No, of course not," Kitty scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "But other than that, it's the same." The younger girl went back to looking through her bag. A moment later she produced a chocolate Easter egg identical to the one Bobby had just given her. Sure enough, there was a Gryffindor lion on a scarlet background attached to the package.

Bobby pulled the pin open immediately and stuck it through the front of his robes. "Thank you," he said. "I love it."

"Well, I love mine," Kitty replied sincerely. "I should go. Clarice will be coming to investigate if I don't." A fond expression settled over her features.

"Yeah, I guess I should, too," Bobby agreed. "Don't study too hard, okay?" He grinned at her once more so Kitty would know he was only kidding around.

"I make no promises," the petite brunette answered. "I _am_ a Ravenclaw."

"True," Bobby conceded. "Have a good break."

"Thanks. You too."

He had taken a few steps when he suddenly remembered something else. Bobby looked back over his shoulder. Kitty was still there, watching him leave. "Hey," he called, "first Saturday of the new term. Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Interested?"

A smile broke out over Kitty's face. "You bet." She shooed him away. "You're going to miss the train if you don't hurry."

Well, she wasn't wrong about that. He picked up his pace and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw there were still a few carriages left for the stragglers like himself. Bobby climbed into the first one he saw. It began to move at once.

The Hogwarts Express was already billowing steam by the time he arrived. He found James in an otherwise empty compartment, arms folded over his chest.

"I got your trunk for you," he said. "Where were you? I thought you were going to miss the train." The other boy regarded him suspiciously for a moment. "You look awfully happy," James continued.

"Do I?" Bobby questioned. This was exactly why he hadn't told James his plans.

"Yeah," the other Gryffindor answered. "Where'd that pin come from?"

Bobby had a response ready, but then he saw comprehension dawn on James's face. "Oh, I get it now. Could it have something to do with a first year Ravenclaw? Tiny, brown hair, comes to all your Quidditch matches…"

"Drop it," Bobby growled. "It's not like that."

"Sure it isn't," James retorted. But the other boy didn't say another word on the subject. Instead, he opened his bag and pulled out a travel sized version of wizard chess. "Wanna play?"

"Yes," Bobby agreed quickly, mostly so James wouldn't bring up Kitty again.

It was clear right away that he was still distracted though. He found his mind wandering back to Kitty at Hogwarts. He fiddled with the lion pin on the front of his robes.

"I give up," James declared. "You're a lost cause."

Bobby ignored his fellow Gryffindor and turned his attention to the window. And as he watched the countryside go speeding past, he knew his friend was right.


	5. Chapter 5

**Must Be Magic**

Kitty Pryde pushed her luggage cart through the crowd of her fellow Hogwarts students. She'd already said good-bye to her parents on the Muggle side of the train station and was currently looking for Clarice. Kitty had gotten an owl from her friend the week before suggesting they meet up so they could ride the train together. So far, Kitty had had no luck finding her fellow Ravenclaw.

She looked around again, frowning, and wondered how she could possibly have missed Clarice even in such a large crowd. As far as Kitty knew, the other girl was still sporting her purple hair and should have stood out.

But as the second year girl continued to scan the crowd, she _did_ spot someone she was happy to see.

"Kitty!" Bobby called, lifting his arm to wave at her. She couldn't fight the grin that broke out across her features. The petite brunette picked a path through the throng of students to where the older boy stood.

He immediately wrapped her in a hug, which Kitty returned. Even as she did so, she felt her cheeks burning.

Bobby let go of her and smiled. "Hi," he greeted.

"Hey, Bobby," Kitty replied. She was going for casual but she sounded breathless instead. She hoped desperately that he didn't notice.

The older boy was still grinning. "Did you have a good summer?" Bobby asked.

Kitty nodded. "It was good," she answered. "I went to see my grandparents."

"And how many books did you read? Be honest," Bobby teased. Kitty gave him a playful shove in retaliation.

The summer had been good to Bobby, too. He was a few inches taller and was it Kitty's imagination or was his voice a little deeper?

She knew she looked a little different as well. Her face had lost a little of its childish roundness.

"Should we find a compartment?" Bobby asked. "They'll all be taken soon otherwise."

"Well I'm supposed to meet Clarice," Kitty began, "but I don't think she'd mind sharing a compartment with you and James."

The blond boy smiled again. "Great," he enthused. "I'll get your trunk if you don't mind carrying my owl." Bobby gesture to his own luggage cart and Kitty saw that there was a covered cage perched on top of his trunk.

"I don't mind," she answered. She lifted the cage from the top of Bobby's trunk and took a peek inside to see a snowy owl, asleep with her head under one wing. "I got a new pet too," she said, gesturing to the cat carrier that sat on top of her own trunk.

"A kitty for Kitty," Bobby mused, grinning. Kitty picked up Lockheed's carrier and placed it under her arm. She carried Bobby's owl in her other hand.

Together they made their way onto the train, with Kitty walking ahead of Bobby, peeking into compartments for an empty one. Finally she spotted one with just one first year boy sitting inside it. "Hi," she said, "do you mind if we sit with you?"

He sneered. "I _do_ mind, actually. I'll go find somewhere else to sit." The boy got to his feet and brushed past Kitty. He shoved Bobby, hard, and kept walking.

Bobby turned to glare after the other boy. Kitty put two and two together. She put the two cages down on one of the seats and put her hand on Bobby's arm. "Did I just have the pleasure of meeting your brother?"

"You did," Bobby confirmed. "Ronny. If he's not Sorted into Slytherin, I'll die of shock." The blond boy heaved a sigh and stepped into the compartment after Kitty. He put her trunk into the overhead compartment and followed it with his own. He sank into the empty seat next to the one Kitty had put the two cages on. There was still a faraway look on Bobby's face.

Kitty decided to distract him. "What's your owl's name?" she asked, because it was the first question she could think of.

It did the trick. "I haven't named her yet actually. I just got her. Any ideas?"

"Elsa," the Ravenclaw answered, knowing Bobby wouldn't get the joke.

He considered this for a moment. "Elsa," Bobby repeated. Then he caught sight of the grin Kitty wore. "What?"

"It's a Muggle thing," Kitty explained.

Bobby nodded, still thoughtful. "I like it though. Elsa it is."

Kitty was about to reply when a new voice joined them. "Oh, _here_ the two of you are," Clarice said loudly. "I found them, James," she called over her shoulder.

The purple haired girl marched into the compartment and tossed her trunk into the overhead. James followed a moment later.

"I told you they'd be together," Clarice said to James with a grin. She turned her vibrant green eyes to Kitty. "What a surprise," she added slowly. Kitty caught the meaning behind her friend's words and felt herself go pink again. She glared at her fellow Ravenclaw. Clarice only offered another Cheshire cat grin.

Kitty wasn't sure why her friend insisted on teasing her about her crush. Clarice always made a big deal about _everything_. It drove Kitty nuts at times. Thankfully, Bobby had not seemed to hear this comment over the discussion he was now having with James about Quidditch prospects.

The train began to roll away from the station. James shut the door and took a seat next to Clarice, leaving Kitty to sit beside Bobby.

Lockheed started to wail inside his carrier. "Do you guys mind if I let him out?" Kitty asked. "He's been in there for a long time."

The other three shook their heads. Kitty got up and knelt in front of Lockheed's cage. She undid the clasps and opened the door. Lockheed shot out from his basket in a black streak.

"Oooh, he's pretty," Clarice cooed. "I've always wanted a black cat."

Kitty scooped up her pet and took her seat next to Bobby. The blond boy reached over to pet Lockheed, who hissed and swiped viciously at Bobby's hand.

"Ow!" Bobby cried as he withdrew his hand. Kitty put her cat down on the floor and reached over to take his hand. Three identical vertical stripes marred his skin. He was bleeding but not too badly.

"I'm so sorry, Bobby," Kitty apologized, looking up from the scratches now decorating the back of his hand. "Lockheed doesn't like boys so much. He got my dad pretty good, too."

"If Lockheed doesn't like boys that doesn't explain why he doesn't like Bobby," James quipped. Clarice snorted.

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "Don't make me hex you," he growled.

Kitty got to her feet. "The lady at Magical Menagerie gave me an ointment that'll heal you up in no time," the brunette promised her friend. She eased her trunk down from the overhead slot and pulled it open. Kitty looked through it for a moment before grabbing the small white jar of medicine. She twisted the lid off and dabbed some of the ointment onto her index finger.

The Ravenclaw girl plopped down beside Bobby once more. She pulled his hand towards her so she could see what she was doing.

"I really am sorry," Kitty repeated as she spread the medicine across the cuts with a gentle hand. She glanced over at her cat, who was eyeing Elsa's cage like he knew exactly what was inside. "Bad cat," she added.

"It's okay," Bobby told her. He peered down at his hand, which was no longer bleeding. The red cuts had already faded to a faint pink. "Thanks, Kitty."

Bobby still hadn't moved his hand away from hers. Kitty noted that his skin felt cool where it touched hers.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Clarice nudge James. She was never going to live this one down, not for a long time anyway. She was going to have to find something that Clarice didn't like to be teased about, Kitty mused absently. Which would be hard, really. Nothing fazed the other girl.

Finally, the Gryffindor took his hand back. "Who wants a game of Exploding Snap?" he asked. "I brought a deck in my trunk." The sudden change of subject and the hint of red on Bobby's features told Kitty that he had noticed the exchange between their two friends as well.

"Sounds fun," Kitty agreed. Bobby shot her a grateful smile as he got up to look for the deck of cards.

"I'm in," Clarice added slowly. She smirked at Kitty again before looking to James, who nodded.

Bobby dealt the cards and gestured for Clarice to take her turn. She put a card down to start the game and nodded to James again. He took his turn as well.

The game went on as the train sped towards the school. Kitty was sure she hadn't been so happy since she'd left Hogwarts the previous June.

The deck exploded in James's face and singed his eyebrows. The other three burst into laughter. He glared at them all before pulling out his wand to fix them.

"Let me," Clarice offered. James held still while Clarice worked her magic. Beside Kitty, Bobby nudged her and grinned. The brunette returned it. Maybe she had found something to tease Clarice about.

"Much better," the other girl declared.

"I don't know, the burned look kind of suited him," Bobby commented. James narrowed his eyes again. "What do you think, Kitty?"

"I think it's time to put our robes on," Kitty replied, ever the peacemaker.

Her fellow Ravenclaw nodded. "She's right," Clarice stated. "Ladies first." She shooed the boys from the compartment.

Kitty was halfway into her robes when Clarice looked at her with a sly grin. "So Bobby got cuter, didn't he?" she teased.

"Shut up," Kitty replied immediately. "I saw how you looked at James."

"He got cuter too," Clarice said unashamedly. She burst into giggles, which spread to Kitty immediately. The brunette girl collapsed into her seat, clutching her stomach.

It felt good to laugh like that, Kitty thought. It felt good to be going home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby and James wandered the Hogwarts grounds with their school bags, looking for a place to study. It seemed a number of other students had had the same idea as they did. It was a Sunday afternoon in late October and everyone wanted to take advantage of the sun while it was still an option.

As they searched for a tree to sit under, Bobby's gaze fell on a group of Slytherins. His brother and John Allerdyce were among them. Bobby wasn't happy to see that John had apparently taken his brother under his wing. Ronny was enough of a bully already. John didn't need to teach him anything.

His fellow Gryffindor followed his gaze over to the Slytherins. "Forget it," James advised. "Nothing you can do."

"Yeah, I know," Bobby agreed with a sigh. But even though he knew James was right, it still rubbed him the wrong way.

They continued to walk. Out of the corner of his eye, Bobby saw his friend grin. "Hey, look," James said, pointing over at a beech tree near the lake. "It's your not girlfriend."

Sure enough, Kitty was sitting under the tree with a small pile of books spread around her. As usual, Clarice was there as well.

"Oh hey, she's with _your_ not girlfriend," Bobby replied with a sarcastic edge to his voice. James's cracks about Kitty being his girlfriend were really starting to get on his nerves.

James didn't appear to be bothered by this. Without another word, he redirected his path towards the two girls. Bobby followed suit.

The girls looked up as they approached. Clarice only nodded at them, but Kitty smiled and offered a hello.

"Hey," the Gryffindor replied, grinning. He noticed for the first time that her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. "I like your hair," Bobby blurted out before he could stop himself.

James gave a loud, obviously fake cough. Clarice snorted and doubled over her textbook as she did so. Kitty ignored both of these reactions. "Thank you, Bobby," the brunette answered loudly. She shot a death glare at their companions.

Reassured by this, he flashed another quick smile. "You should wear it that way more often," he continued. Since he had already said it, he might as well own it.

Bobby sat down across from her on the grass. James flopped down next to him, the four of them forming a circle on the lawn. Kitty, Bobby noticed, had tossed the ends of her ponytail over one shoulder and was now combing through them with her fingers.

"That was a good game yesterday," Clarice offered up, school work apparently forgotten.

Bobby glanced sideways at James. His friend had been delighted to make the Gryffindor team as a Beater and once he got on the subject of Quidditch there was no stopping him.

Sure enough, the other boy now wore a smirk. "You know you guys _lost_, right?" he asked.

"I have a good sense of sportsmanship," Clarice replied haughtily. "I can appreciate a good game whether my team won or lost."

"James has always been a bad winner," Bobby put in. "No sense of humility."

"Well, why should I be humble?" James asked. His face split into a grin. "If it hadn't been for me hitting at Bludger at your Seeker, Ravenclaw might've won."

Clarice shook her head, thick violet braid swinging wildly. "It wasn't all on you," she said. "Bobby made that great play to keep Alison from scoring. He barely held onto his broom."

That _had_ been a good play. Bobby smiled, remembering the applause he had earned for that move.

James made a scoffing sound. "It was _okay_," he replied. "I wouldn't call it great." But he had been Bobby's friend long enough for the blond boy to tell that he was only kidding.

"No, it_ was_ great," Kitty chimed in. Her brown eyes were serious. "I was afraid you were going to fall, honestly." She looked away after this confession and started to play with her hair again.

Bobby was a little touched at the thought. He supposed to someone like Kitty, who of course hadn't grown up with the sport, it must have seemed extremely dangerous. Even he wondered sometimes how no one ever seemed to get seriously injured, at least not in the games here at the school. But at the same time, the love of the game was in his blood.

"Maybe if he _had_ fallen it would have knocked some sense into him," James muttered. Bobby elbowed him in the ribs, which only made the other boy snicker.

Clarice, it seemed, wasn't willing to let the conversation die. "Are you guys excited for Hogsmeade next weekend?" she asked. "I wish I could go. I'll be thirteen on Halloween. It's not fair."

Kitty rejoined the discussion as well. "They can't do it by age," she pointed out. "It would just get too confusing. It makes more sense to do it by year. That way it's equal."

The other girl reached over to poke her. "So logical," Clarice teased.

Kitty shoved her friend away. "You should be too," the brunette pointed out. "You're also a Ravenclaw."

"'You're also a Ravenclaw,'" Clarice mimicked. But Bobby could tell that she said it with affection. Kitty didn't even react except to roll her eyes.

"Next year," James began, brown eyes focused firmly on Clarice, "we'll all go together."

A slow smile spread across Clarice's face. "It's a date then," she replied.

Bobby remembered suddenly the whole reason he had come out here. Sighing, he opened his bag and took out his copy of _Unfogging the Future_. He cracked the book open to the chapter he was supposed to read for tomorrow's lesson.

He didn't get very far, all things considered. James and Clarice were still chatting next to him, which was a distraction. Even more distracting was the fact that someone was watching him.

The blond boy looked up to meet Kitty's gaze. "How do you like Divination?" she asked.

"I _hate_ it," Bobby answered vehemently. "I have no idea why I did this to myself. It comes down to guesswork and nothing else. Divination is just a garbage subject."

The Ravenclaw girl winced. "That bad, huh?" she said.

"He's terrible at it," James informed the girls. "Bobby isn't used to being terrible at something." James snickered again as Bobby narrowed his eyes. "Go on, Bobby, tell her the _real_ reason you hate Divination."

Kitty looked from Bobby to James and back again. "That wasn't the real reason?" she asked. Bobby thought he heard a note of hurt in her tone.

Bobby shook his head. "Of _course_ it was," he said. "James just _thinks__he's funny_."

"Oh, I know I'm funny," James said. "But you know there's another reason why you hate Divination," he continued.

Bobby knew exactly what his oldest friend was talking about. Sighing, he looked back to Kitty. "Well, okay, there _is_ another reason I hate going to that class," the Gryffindor conceded. "Do you know who the Divination professor is?"

Kitty bobbed her head. "Sure," she answered, "Professor LeBeau."

Clarice let out a giggle at the mention of the professor. Kitty turned to her friend, gaping. This only made Clarice laugh harder.

"See, that's _exactly_ what's so annoying," Bobby said. "Divination is a very popular elective and it's all because of him. So the girls all sit there and giggle every time he speaks. He plays it up, too. He has a whole persona. How old is he, anyway? Thirty? It's not like they have a shot at him." Bobby crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly irritated all over again.

"Professor LeBeau is only twenty-six," Clarice offered.

"_Why _do you know that?" Kitty asked.

The other girl shrugged. "I get why it's a popular class," she answered. "That's all I'm going to say."

Kitty made a face. "No, thank you," she said. "That's one class I think I'll skip. I prefer learning about things that are concrete. Things that can be proven."

"To each her own," Clarice answered primly. "But you're really not into Professor LeBeau, Kitty?" she asked.

"Okay, you're _not_ discussing this in front of us," James declared. "Have your girl talk somewhere else."

Clarice stuck out her tongue. "We were here first." She turned her green eyes back to Kitty, still incredulous. "You can't tell me you don't think he's kind of hot."

Kitty, to her credit, looked extremely uncomfortable. "No. Like Bobby said, it all just seems like an act to me." She twisted the ends of her ponytail around her finger. "I just…I like it better when people are genuine."

For a moment, she looked right at him. Bobby felt a smile force its way to his lips.

"See, guys, Kitty gets it," the blond boy said.

The petite brunette smiled at this before ducking her head in that shy way of hers. Then she returned her focus to the Potions textbook she had abandoned. After a moment, she picked up her quill and started adding to the long roll of parchment she had been working on.

Beside them, James and Clarice resumed their own work. Bobby, however, continued to watch the younger girl. He couldn't get what she had said out of his mind. _"I like it better when people are genuine."_

He was sure, somehow, that she was talking about him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Must Be Magic**

Kitty was waiting for Bobby to come down for breakfast. She had something to give him and she wanted to catch him before he went down to the Quidditch field.

The brunette girl was very aware of the fact that her friend had had a hard week. His last game hadn't gone so well and Kitty had noticed that he had been moping around the castle. She had a feeling James hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said Bobby wasn't used to being bad at something.

When Bobby had brushed her off for the second time after Gryffindor had lost last week's game, Kitty had turned her focus on trying to find something that would cheer her friend up. She thought she'd come up with the perfect idea and Kitty was eager to know if it would work.

After what seemed like forever, Kitty finally spotted him coming down the staircase. Bobby met her gaze and a sheepish expression settled over his features.

"Hey, Kit," the blond boy began as he approached, "I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to apologize for being so rude the other day."

The Ravenclaw girl waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Honestly. I know what it's like to be hard on yourself," she said gently.

Bobby looked as if he wasn't quite sure about this. Before he could protest further, Kitty offered him a smile. "I have something for you," she continued.

He smiled now too. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

She reached into her pocket and offered it to him. Bobby took it, his brow furrowed. He examined it for a moment and then looked up to meet her gaze.

"You made me a Chocolate Frog card."

"I did," Kitty confirmed with a grin. Bobby didn't say anything. Kitty's smile faltered. "I just…I remember you said you always wanted to be on one so I thought…"

Bobby shook his head. "No, no it's great. Don't get me wrong. I just can't believe you remembered. I told you that over a year ago."

The petite brunette ducked her head. "Ravenclaw, remember? I remember everything," Kitty told him.

Bobby gave her that sweet smile that admittedly made her a little weak in the knees. "Well I'm glad you do," the blond boy said. "This is just what I needed."

Kitty felt her cheeks warm. "I'm glad. I really just wanted to cheer you up," she admitted.

"Consider your job done then." Bobby looked down at the card again, beaming. Kitty could just make out the picture Bobby smiling and waving at her. "All of this is exactly right, too. Born December 21, favorite subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts, plays Keeper for Gryffindor, wants to be an Auror…"

"Paying attention is one of my strong suits," she remarked. "I really am glad that you like it."

Kitty called on every bit of courage she possessed. She took a deep breath and darted forward to kiss Bobby on the cheek. "I'm rooting for you today, okay?" The Ravenclaw girl was very aware of how red her face must have been, but Bobby looked pleased.

"Thank you, Kitty. That means a lot." Bobby smiled shyly. "I…I should go eat," he offered. "Big game today. I'll catch up with you later?"

She nodded. "You bet. Good luck, Bobby."

He carefully tucked the Chocolate Frog card into his pocket before heading into the Great Hall. Kitty followed suit.

The brunette took a seat at the Ravenclaw table under the enchanted ceiling. Today it showed a gray, cloudy February morning, which according to what Kitty had heard would make the game even more interesting. She hoped that she had helped Bobby even in some small way.

She had that feeling of being watched. Kitty looked up and scanned the hall before meeting Bobby's gaze from the Gryffindor table. He smiled at her again, quickly, before glancing away.

Something told her he was going to be just fine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Must Be Magic**

Well, even in a school full of underage witches and wizards, you didn't see _that_ every day, Bobby thought.

Kitty was standing in the corridor with her wand out. She was using it to prod a statue of some famous old wizard. Bobby couldn't remember who. He continued to watch the younger girl for another moment, an amused smile on his face. It was only when he saw her lips start to form words under her breath that he went over to her.

"Hey, Kit," he began, "what are you doing?"

Her face lit up. "Oh, good. Maybe you can help me."

"In any way I can," Bobby answered, grinning. Kitty rolled her eyes at this cheesy response and let out an annoyed huff. "Sorry. But really, I'll help if I can," Bobby continued.

"You took Professor Howlett's History of Magic exam last year. I heard there's an extra credit question about secret passages in the school on it. So my first question is is that true?"

Bobby nodded. "Yep," he said, making a popping sound on the "p".

She grinned now. "And I'd bet you know where at least one of them is," she said.

The Gryffindor boy grinned. "What makes you so sure?"

"Come on, Bobby, help a girl out," Kitty pleaded. She reached over and put her hand on his arm, "I'll be your best friend."

"You _are_ my best friend," Bobby told her.

She ducked her head, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink as she did so. But she recovered quickly, offering him another smile. "All the more reason for you to help me," the brunette pointed out.

He couldn't argue with that. "Come on, I'll show you." Bobby started down the corridor with Kitty at his heels.

He led the way toward the third floor corridor. When he came to the statue of the one eyed witch with the humpback, he stopped and pulled out his own wand. The Gryffindor boy looked around to see if anyone was coming. He found that the coast was clear and tapped the hump with his wand.

"Dissendium."

The statue slid apart to reveal a narrow passageway. Kitty looked at it for a moment, incredulous. She flashed Bobby a brief smile before rummaging through her bag for a scrap of parchment and a quill. He saw her scribble down the incantation.

"Thank you, Bobby," Kitty said, sincerity evident in her voice. "How did you know about this, anyway?" she asked.

Bobby hesitated for a moment. Kitty, noticing this, frowned. "It's not some Gryffindor secret, is it?"

"No, no," Bobby assured her. "James's brother showed us when we were first years."

She nodded, a thoughtful expression settling over her features. "I think it's nice that you're so close with his family," Kitty offered.

The blond boy smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I guess. Sometimes I'd like to be that way with my own family, but I guess _someone_ has to be the black sheep."

Kitty looked like she wished she hadn't brought up the subject of family. The last thing Bobby wanted was for her to feel bad. "Hey, how does two extra credit points instead of one sound?" he asked.

She brightened immediately. "Such a charmer," Kitty teased, winking. "Lead the way."

As directed, he led her out to the grounds. Bobby saw her looking around eagerly, as if she were trying to figure out where the passage was.

When they came to the Whomping Willow, Bobby stopped in his tracks, back far enough that the tree wouldn't sense their presence and attack. Kitty did the same. She had her head tilted to one side, curious now. "Here?" the Ravenclaw asked, voice laced with disbelief.

"Yep," Bobby said again. "See that knot there on the trunk?" Kitty nodded and he went on, "If you press it, the tree stops fighting and it opens into a secret passage."

A frown was etched into Kitty's face. "Professor Munroe never mentioned that."

"Well, it's a secret for a reason," Bobby pointed out. "It's not like they want us to go sneaking into the Shrieking Shack."

Kitty mused over this for a moment. "Where does the other passage lead to?" she asked.

"Honeydukes."

She offered him another grin, "I'm surprised you don't use it once a day," the younger girl teased. Bobby stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed, hard, tossing her head back. Bobby had to admit he liked making her laugh.

Kitty's laughter ceased. She seemed to realize something. "Oh," she said. "We missed dinner."

"Well, we can't have that," Bobby murmured. He smiled. "Wanna learn another Hogwarts secret?" That Ravenclaw curiosity was clear on her face. "I'll take you to the kitchens."

Together they made their way back up to the castle. He led the way through the corridors to the kitchens. When they came to the picture of the fruit that masked the door, Kitty shot him a look that said he was crazy.

"Just watch," Bobby said, reaching towards the painting. He tickled the pear, which giggled and turned into a bright green handle. Kitty's disbelief turned to incredulity once again.

"What _don't_ you know about this place?" the brunette asked.

He motioned for her to go first and followed after her once she had gone through. "Plenty," the blond boy answered honestly. "I only keep track of the useful stuff."

They were swarmed by a mob of house-elves, all talking over one another in tiny, shrill voices. "Guys," Bobby said loudly. At once they all stopped speaking.

"This is Kitty," the Gryffindor continued, gesturing at his companion. She waved, looking shy as every pair of eyes locked onto her. "We were studying and we missed dinner. Can we —"

There was a sudden flurry of activity as the house-elves began to pull out pots and pans. Kitty looked slightly alarmed at the rush.

"Something simple is fine," Bobby assured them. "Like sandwiches?" he suggested, glancing at Kitty. She nodded quickly. "Sandwiches," Bobby repeated.

He dragged a chair over to one of the long wooden tables and motioned for Kitty to sit. She did so as Bobby brought a second chair for himself and sat down across from her. The house elves brought a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two goblets. Kitty just looked around the kitchens in fascination as the house elves bustled around.

A few minutes later, a platter piled high with sandwiches was delivered to them. "Thank you," Kitty murmured to the elf that had brought it. He sunk into a bow.

She seemed distant as they ate. "Is something wrong?" Bobby asked after awhile.

She sighed, propping one elbow up on the table and resting her forehead against her palm. Then she tilted her face towards him and managed a half smile.

"I'm worried about exams," the Ravenclaw admitted.

Bobby nodded, a response on the tip of his tongue. Before he could respond, another house-elf appeared at his elbow with a gigantic bowl of ice cream. He offered them two spoons.

Bobby felt his face go red. But Kitty didn't seem to mind the idea of sharing the ice cream with him. She took her spoon and carved out a rather large bite.

"Sorry," she said when she caught him staring. "Rocky road is my favorite."

"Mine too."

The younger girl gave Bobby a quick smile. This one seemed much more genuine than the last one had.

They made short work of the ice cream. Kitty pushed the empty bowl away. "Listen, Kitty," Bobby said seriously, "you shouldn't worry about exams. You know and I know you're the best witch in your year."

Kitty ducked her head in that shy way of hers. "You're always so nice, Bobby."

"I'm not being nice. I'm being honest," he insisted.

"Still though," she answered, "it's a nice thing to hear sometimes."

The clock over the fireplace struck eight. A panicked look settled on Kitty's face. "We have to get back to our dorms," she said.

Bobby wasn't particularly worried about this, but he also was well aware of the fact that Kitty was not the kind of girl who was accustomed to getting into trouble. "Don't worry," the Gryffindor assured her, "we won't get caught." Bobby gave her his patented mischievous grin.

They thanked the house-elves for dinner before scurrying out of the kitchens. Bobby, used to getting into all sorts of trouble in his three years of Hogwarts, knew exactly which route to take to avoid being seen by teachers. It was far too soon for his tastes that they arrived at the spiral stairs that led to Ravenclaw Tower.

She started up a few steps before turning to look back at him. "Thank you for this, Bobby. For everything tonight."

"You're welcome," he answered. "I meant it though, okay? You're gonna be fine."

Kitty considered this for a moment. Then she came back down the steps and kissed him on the cheek, just as she had done weeks earlier before his Quidditch match. "Goodnight, Bobby."

"Goodnight," the blond boy called after her. Her face was a brilliant red, just as he knew his own was.

He couldn't help it though.

He smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Must Be Magic**

The excited chatter of students in line for Hogsmeade filled the air. Kitty, however, was not one of the ones doing the talking.

She was looking forward to the trip, of course. During the October trip, she'd hardly gotten to look around at the more historical parts of the village. Clarice had been too interested in exploring the shops and had dragged Kitty along with her.

Today, however, was a different story.

Clarice and James were going on their first date. They were standing a few people in front of her, already holding hands. Clarice was talking in that animated way of hers, gesturing with her free hand. James, to his credit, seemed to be paying close attention.

It wasn't that she was jealous because she wasn't. But she did feel a little left out. And this kind of thing had happened to Kitty before. Too many times for comfort.

Her brooding was interrupted by a familiar voice. "_There_ you are," Bobby said. Kitty looked up to see him approaching her. He was dressed for the cold weather already and was just finishing winding a Gryffindor scarf around his neck as he drew level with her. "I was looking for you."

Kitty was confused. "Did we have plans I didn't know about?" she asked.

He grinned impishly. "No, but we do now," Bobby answered. His expression faltered as Kitty gave no response. "Unless you _don't_ want to hang out with me," Bobby continued. The disappointment was evident.

"No, no, it's not that," Kitty said quickly. "I just wasn't expecting it. That's all."

"I thought we'd keep each other company," the older boy said. He waved a hand towards their friends. "You know, since the rest of our social circle is otherwise engaged."

The thought of Bobby purposely seeking her out made her happy. It always did. The brunette managed a smile for her friend. "Well, I'd love to spend the day with you, Bobby," Kitty told him with all the sincerity she could muster.

The line moved slowly as the caretaker checked students off on the list. Finally they got outside into the brisk air. Kitty felt her spirits rise as she and Bobby headed down the slope that led to the village.

Kitty looked around Hogsmeade in wonder. She had never seen anything look so picturesque. Everything was covered in snow and every shop window was lit up. The whole village looked like a postcard.

"So where do you want to go first?" Bobby asked. He looked hopefully towards Honeydukes. Kitty grinned knowingly at her friend and followed after him.

The candy store was packed. Kitty hadn't been into Honeydukes before. She was sure she could look in here for hours and not see everything.

She got separated from Bobby almost immediately, but she wasn't too worried about this. The brunette girl was sure he wouldn't leave the store without her. Kitty wandered through the throng, occasionally using her elbows to get through the sea of her fellow Hogwarts students. Not for the first time, she cursed her petite stature.

The Ravenclaw had finally decided on some nice toffees to bring home to her parents when Bobby reappeared at her elbow. Bobby had been considerably less choosy than Kitty. The blond boy had his arms full of various candies. "Ready?"

"Are you sure _you_ are?" Kitty teased. "I'm sure there's at least one candy you missed."

The older boy only stuck his tongue out at her in response. The crowd had thinned a bit and they didn't have to wait in line very long. When they reached the front of the queue, Bobby dumped his stuff on the counter and turned to her. He reached for the box of toffees Kitty was holding.

She arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Paying," Bobby answered innocently.

"You don't have to do that, Bobby," Kitty insisted. "I can pay for my own." The Gryffindor drew back, looking slightly hurt. "You're sweet," she added. She hoped she hadn't hurt his feelings. "I _do_ appreciate the offer."

Bobby nodded, eyes still distant. He paid for his candy and waited in silence as Kitty made her own purchase.

By the time she was ready to leave, however, Bobby was back to his old self. He grinned down at her. "Zonko's?"

"I think you're forgetting I'm not James," the younger girl replied with a grin of her own. "There is absolutely no reason I need to go to Zonko's, but I'll go if you need to."

"I _do_ need to," Bobby replied. "I'm all out of supplies."

Kitty arched an eyebrow but said nothing. She allowed Bobby to take hold of her free hand and tug her along in his wake. The closer they got to the joke shop, the faster he went until they arrived at the front door, breathless.

"Come on," Bobby implored. He pulled the door open and stepped aside so Kitty could enter first.

It was clear to Kitty immediately that Muggle pranks had nothing on wizard ones. Kitty wasn't the type of girl to ever pull pranks, but if she ever developed the desire to she knew where she was coming.

Bobby wove through the store expertly. In what seemed like no time at all, he was laden down with all sorts of things to cause mischief with.

"What on earth are you going to do with all of that?" she asked.

He grinned wickedly. "Oh, you know," Bobby answered, "stuff."

"Stuff," Kitty repeated dubiously.

"It's mostly going to be used on James," he explained. "Don't worry. I'll let you know ahead of time when I'm going to use it so you'll have time to get out of the line of fire."

Kitty didn't know quite what to make of this statement. She supposed pranking was just a boy thing.

Bobby went to pay for his items. "Where next?" he asked as they made their way through the shop once more.

"I need parchment," Kitty replied, "and some new inks. And a couple of quills."

The blond boy made a face. "You want to go shopping for school supplies?"

"Yes. I didn't complain about Zonko's," she reminded him when he continued to look less than excited about the idea.

He let out a resigned sigh but didn't protest further. Grinning again, Kitty took hold of his free hand and led him through the streets of the village towards Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.

Kitty took one of the small round baskets from the front of the shop and went right to the rows of inks. She selected two bottles of all her usual colors: midnight blue, emerald green, crimson, black, and plum.

"What do you need all those for?" Bobby asked.

"I use a different color for each class," Kitty explained. She felt her face flush a bit. "It helps me stay organized."

"Ravenclaws," Bobby muttered, but he offered a smile as he said it. Kitty knew he was only teasing.

"I shudder to think of what _your _notes look like," the younger girl retorted. She brushed past him towards the parchment.

He followed after her. "Harsh, Kit," Bobby replied as she dumped a dozen rolls of plain parchment into her basket. She felt that little thrill pass over her as it always did whenever Bobby used his nickname for her. _'Get a grip, Kitty,'_ she commanded herself.

She wove her way back through the shop to where the quills were. Schrivenshaft's had a wide variety to choose from and Kitty could have happily looked for hours and not be bored.

However, she knew she couldn't do that to Bobby. The blond boy was leaning against the wall, watching her with an amused smile as Kitty tested a few quills with the inks and scraps of parchment that had been left out for that exact reason. "Don't worry," Kitty assured him, "I'm almost done."

"A miracle," Bobby muttered dryly. Kitty stuck her tongue out at him playfully before choosing two eagle feather quills.

"We can go now," she announced. Bobby followed at her heels as Kitty led the way up to where the shop assistant was waiting behind the counter.

The assistant chatted pleasantly with her, but Kitty was more focused on Bobby. He was looking out of the shop's front window at the streets that led toward the village square. Kitty was about to suggest they head to the Three Broomsticks next when he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Hey, look," Bobby said, grinning again, "it's James and Clarice." He pointed.

Sure enough, their friends were indeed walking down the street towards the square. Kitty finished her transaction and followed the older boy to the door. He held it open for her and together they hurried down the street.

She didn't really know why they were following James and Clarice in the first place, now that she thought about it. "What are we doing?" Kitty asked, glancing up at Bobby.

"I just really want to see what James thinks is romantic," Bobby admitted.

Kitty snorted. She had to admit Bobby may have had a point. While she didn't doubt that Clarice was going to tell her about the entire date in great detail, it might have been interesting to see at least part of it for herself.

James and Clarice had stopped up ahead next to the fountain in the square. He was looking down at her and Kitty could just see his lips moving. A moment later, they were kissing. Clarice reached up to hook her arms around James's neck.

"On second thought," Bobby murmured, "maybe I don't want to know."

The Ravenclaw girl, however, found she couldn't look away. All the bad thoughts she'd had earlier came flooding back to her.

She saw Bobby frown out of the corner of her eye. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go get warm, okay?" he suggested. "Come on. Let me buy you a butterbeer."

"Okay," Kitty answered, forcing herself to look away from their friends and at Bobby instead. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Together they made their way through Hogsmeade to the Three Broomsticks. The place was packed. "How about you find us a table," Bobby suggested loudly over the noise.

Kitty nodded. As Bobby fought his way to the bar to order, Kitty scanned the room for an empty table. She spotted one in the very back corner and waved to Bobby to get his attention. She pointed towards the back and he nodded.

She wove her way through the crowd to the empty table. Kitty unclasped her cloak and peeled the scarf from her neck. She draped both over the back of her chair before settling down in it. The scowl settled back over her face.

Bobby rejoined her a few moments later with the drinks. He set one down in front of her before sitting down on the other side of the table. The blond boy shed his own outerwear and turned back to her. A frown creased into his face when he saw her expression.

"Hey," Bobby said, leaning across the table towards her, "did you hear about the witch who won the lottery? She went a little Knuts."

Kitty regarded her friend with a blank expression. "Okay, not my best joke," Bobby admitted. She continued to remain silent. "Oh, come on, Kitty. Please tell me what's wrong."

The brunette girl let out a sigh. "Do you really want to know?" she asked. Kitty didn't even wait for a reply. She knew Bobby well enough to know that he did. "Before Hogwarts, I didn't really have any friends. I was that quiet girl who was too focused on her schoolwork to want to socialize, even when I was little. And by the time I did want to, I didn't know how. Sometimes people would want to be my friend so I'd help them with school. But as soon as they got what they wanted they always stopped talking to me.

"And then," Kitty went on, feeling the sting of tears coming on, "one day these boys were picking on me. They took my book and they were throwing it back and forth and calling me names. All I wanted was for them to shut up. And then they did. All of them. Their mouths were moving but they couldn't make a sound. I didn't know it then, but it was magic."

Bobby reached out across the table to take her hand. Kitty appreciated the gesture. Something about Bobby's touch always comforted her. "Since that first day, it was you and it was Clarice. Later James, but since that first day the two of you have been my best friends. And Clarice, she's more like a sister. We do everything together. And I just don't want her to be one of those people who leaves."

"I don't think she's like that," Bobby said gently. "I've seen the two of you. You _are_ like sisters. She's not going to ditch you for James." Bobby gave her hand a squeeze. Then he chuckled. "And if she does, then she has terrible, _terrible_ taste," Bobby added.

Kitty laughed too. He had a point. "That's true," Kitty agreed. Relief spread over her companion's face. He had done his job. "Thank you," she murmured. "You're right. I'm being stupid." Kitty shook her head.

"You could never be stupid," Bobby told her seriously. "I understand why you'd feel that way, though. Anyone would. But I hope you know that even if Clarice _does_ decide to stop hanging around, _I'm_ not going anywhere. Okay?"

The brunette ducked her head. He was always so sweet to her; it made her blush every time. "I know that, Bobby," Kitty replied.

"Good," Bobby said firmly. Kitty finally turned her attention to her butterbeer. She took a long sip and immediately felt warmth seep through her.

The Gryffindor boy grinned now. "Did I ever tell you about the time James broke my arm when we were kids?"

Kitty shook her head. Bobby launched into a long series of stories about all of he and James's antics over the years. By the time it was time to head back to the castle, Kitty was truly feeling a lot better.

The snow was picking up again as they left. Kitty shivered despite her layers. Bobby put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him as they made their way up the slope towards the school.

They weren't too far away when he spoke. "Kitty," Bobby said seriously. She looked up at him, wondering why his tone was so grave. She was surprised by the intensity in his eyes and for a moment she thought he might kiss her, judging by the way his gaze seemed to be flickering to her lips.

Instead he said, "I meant it. I'm always going to be here. I just…I wanted you to know."

"I do know," Kitty answered, puzzled by this.

Bobby nodded, offering her a brief smile as the reached the entrance hall. "I'll see you later," he said quickly.

"Yeah," she agreed, slightly dazed by the sudden change in his behavior. Kitty watched him leave with a frown.

Something, she knew, had just changed between them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Must Be Magic**

He had been dreading this day.

Valentine's Day was never a holiday Bobby had thought very much of when he was younger. But now that he was fifteen, it was a different story. He noticed girls now.

Well, okay. If he was going to be honest with himself, there was only one girl he noticed.

Kitty occupied his thoughts quite a bit these days. It was hard _not_ to think about her. She was his best friend in ways James was not. His friendship with James was one forged in childhood and they had been friends for too long to stop now. Bobby figured he was pretty much stuck with him.

But Kitty, on the other hand… It was different with her. He looked forward to seeing her every chance he got. He liked that her sense of humor was of the more intelligent variety; she certainly put that famous Ravenclaw wit to good use. He liked spending time with her and seeing how she blushed and ducked her head whenever he paid her a compliment.

Bobby had a crush on her, to put it simply. And there were times he thought she might feel the same way about him. The Gryffindor boy had seriously considered finding out for sure last December after their day in Hogsmeade together, but he had chickened out at the last moment. Some Gryffindor he was.

He remembered that day perfectly. The snow falling around them with flakes stuck in Kitty's dark locks, her face pink from the cold, her warm chocolate gaze locking on his…

He should have just done it. And he'd kicked himself plenty of times in the two months since then. But as much as he wanted to kiss her, he couldn't. If he was wrong, if Kitty didn't have feelings for him, their friendship wouldn't be the same. The thought of losing her as a friend, the idea of her walking away… Bobby couldn't handle it.

So instead of confessing to Kitty what he really felt, he spouted out a pretty lame reminder of how he had really meant it when he said he wasn't going anywhere. Even now, replaying the conversation in his head made Bobby groan.

And now it was Valentine's Day. All around him, owls were dropping off gifts of chocolates and flowers and stuffed animals and jewelry for his fellow students. Next to him, James was watching eagerly for Clarice to receive the gift he had ordered for her from a shop in Diagon Alley.

"Finally," James muttered as a screech owl dropped a tiny parcel in front of Clarice. The Ravenclaw girl tore into it eagerly. Her face lit up as she cracked open the box. Bobby saw her lean over to show Kitty, who smiled only halfheartedly.

Clarice got up from the Ravenclaw table and came striding purposefully towards James. "Thank you, James," she squealed as soon as she got close enough for him to hear. Bobby caught a glimpse of the gift — a tiny silver pendant shaped like a unicorn with an amethyst eye hanging on a delicate chain. Clarice plopped down in the empty seat next to James, turning her back to him. "Put it on for me?" she asked sweetly. She swept her violet braid over one shoulder.

James did as he was asked. Once he had fastened the necklace for her, she turned around and pulled him in for a kiss.

Bobby made a face. "Some of us are trying to eat around here, you know," he muttered. Both of his friends ignored him.

The blond boy rolled his eyes and looked away. His gaze wandered over to the Ravenclaw table as it so often did these days. Kitty, now sitting alone, looked so very sad. Bobby wondered where _her_ owl was. He was sure he had ordered in time…

Professor Summers came striding across the Great Hall towards James and Clarice. He stood behind them and cleared his throat. The couple sprang apart immediately.

"Miss Ferguson, Mr. Proudstar, if you could refrain from such…_intense_ public displays of affection, we all would appreciate it. Miss Ferguson, if you would please rejoin your fellow Ravenclaws…"

Clarice got up from the table, flashing James a quick smile. "Thanks again," she murmured. The Ravenclaw girl sauntered away, her skirts flouncing.

James turned around in his seat, a satisfied smirk gracing his features. He followed Bobby's gaze over to the Ravenclaw table and let out a snort.

"I don't get why you didn't just ask her to be your Valentine," James said. "She would have said yes. Then again, any girl at this school would have said yes."

The blond boy tore his gaze away from the object of his affections to arch an eyebrow at his friend. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"You've really never noticed the way the girls around here giggle every time you walk by?" Bobby continued to give his friend a blank stare. "No, I guess you wouldn't," James mused, shaking his head. "You're too hung up on Kitty to notice anyone else."

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "That's not true," he protested, only to be met with James's flat expression that told Bobby his friend didn't believe him in the slightest. "Okay, maybe a little," he conceded.

A last group of post owls came into the Great Hall. A barn owl dropped off Kitty's package in front of her. A look of wonder spread across the younger girl's face. Bobby found a sappy smile forming on his features.

Kitty opened the box carefully. Clarice leaned over the other girl's shoulder, interested. Kitty brushed her away and turned the box over, no doubt looking for a note.

Beside Bobby, James was watching this unfold with just as much interest. "You didn't send her a note, did you?" he asked.

At the Ravenclaw table, the girls were still investigating the package. Clarice was saying something. Bobby saw Kitty laugh. She picked up her bag and pulled out a few of her textbooks before carefully slipping her gift inside.

"I'm telling you," James began seriously, "you should ask her out. Or someone else will. And then you'll spend your whole life wondering what might have happened."

"I've thought about it," Bobby replied, sighing, "but I just don't think it's worth the risk of her saying no."

James rolled his eyes. "Okay, Bobby. Whatever. It's your life, I guess. But I think you're making a mistake."

XxXxX

Bobby walked out of his last lesson of the day to find Kitty waiting in the corridor. She was leaning against the stone wall, one foot resting behind her. A small stack of books — the same ones he'd seen her take out this morning — was hugged against her chest.

"Hi," he said, smiling, "Professor McCoy is still in the classroom. You should be able to catch him."

The brunette returned his smile. "I was looking for you, actually," she admitted. Bobby was sure his heart skipped a beat. "Take a walk with me before dinner?"

He never passed up a chance to spend time with her. He found himself nodding in agreement. Kitty beamed at him. She pushed off the wall with her foot and they set off together.

Bobby was a bit surprised to see just how many people were out on the grounds considering it was the middle of February. Kitty led him towards the lake.

The lake was no longer frozen over with spring just around the corner, but Bobby still wouldn't fancy taking a swim in it. Still though, it looked very pretty and he was glad to be out here with Kitty. He was just going to point out that the giant squid was near the opposite shore when Kitty spoke again.

"I know it was you, Bobby," the Ravenclaw girl informed him.

He gave her his best innocent look. "You know what was me?" he asked.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Who else would send me a box full of Chocolate Frogs? That's always been our thing."

Bobby swallowed hard, ready to explain himself. Before he could, however, Kitty put her books on the ground and closed the distance between them. Her arms wound themselves tightly around his torso and her head rested against his chest. He was surprised by how tightly she was holding onto him. He returned the embrace.

"Thank you," Kitty said quietly. "You really are the best friend I've ever had, you know."

The blond boy's heart sunk at this declaration. Kitty stepped back from him and reached into her bag for the box of Chocolate Frogs. "Want one?"

He forced a smile. "Sure."

She handed him one before picking up her books and starting to walk again, much more slowly this time.

They circled the lake twice, chatting about this and that, before she stopped and looked up at him with that shy smile. "Ready to go inside?"

Bobby nodded. After only a couple of steps, he found the tiny brunette leaning into him. He looked down at her, amused. Kitty offered him the shy smile that he loved so much in response. Bobby sighed dramatically, knowing she would know he was only teasing. He put his arm around her shoulders and a soft noise of contentment escaped Kitty's lips. She snuggled closer.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad holiday after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Must Be Magic**

"Would you please stop making that face?" Clarice demanded.

"I'm not making a face," Kitty protested grumpily.

Clarice took her by the shoulders and spun her around towards the full length mirror that hung at the opposite end of the Ravenclaw dorm. "You don't call that a face?"

The younger girl let out a sigh. "I don't know why I agreed to this."

"I know exactly why," Clarice declared in a sing song voice. "And so do you."

Kitty regarded her friend with a flat expression. "Enlighten me."

She smirked, which only served to irritate Kitty further. "You agreed to go tonight because Bobby asked you to," Clarice said matter of factly.

Of course, she was exactly right. But she didn't need to know that. Kitty let out a huff.

"I knew I was right," the other girl said smugly. "Your silence says everything."

There were few things in the world that Kitty hated more than a smug best friend. Instead of responding, the petite brunette merely looked down at the sapphire blue dress robes she had so carefully laid out on her bed.

Hogwarts was holding the Yule Ball tonight. Kitty's understanding was that this was traditionally a part of the Triwizard Tournament, but no contest was taking place. The headmaster of the school, Professor Xavier, had announced the ball at the beginning of the term, saying only that it was a reward for all the hardworking students.

Kitty, of course, being a fourth year now, was allowed to go. She wouldn't have, however, if it hadn't been for Bobby. In lieu of having the school champions and their partners open the ball, it had been decided that the Head Boy and Girl and the prefects would instead. She remembered glancing over at Bobby during this announcement and seeing his eyes widen. She also remembered James elbowing him in the ribs and pointing over at her.

The next day Bobby caught her as she was coming down to breakfast and asked if she'd go with him. Kitty, of course, had never been able to say no to him and agreed. When the October Hogsmeade trip rolled around, she and Clarice had gone shopping, an afternoon that had delighted Clarice and infuriated Kitty. She had never been one for primping. Those kinds of shopping trips had always been a chore.

"Honestly, Kitty, you're going to a ball, not the gallows," Clarice said, snapping Kitty out of her reverie. "And you're going with Bobby. Why aren't you happy?"

"Because this is probably the closest I'll get to having a date with him and it's not even a real date," Kitty snapped.

The older girl rolled her eyes. "You're still hung up on that 'Bobby only sees me as a friend' thing, aren't you?" she asked.

Kitty sighed deeply. "I don't even think it's that," she told her friend. "I think he sees me as a sister. A _little_ sister. Which is worse. I mean, why would he like me as anything more?"

Clarice's features softened. "Oh, Kitty," she said, sadness evident in her tone, "for someone who's so smart, you sure don't see yourself very clearly."

Kitty knew that her friend was only trying to cheer her up. And truth be told, she didn't _want_ to be miserable; of course she didn't. So she attempted a smile, which seemed to appease Clarice. The older girl put her arm around Kitty's shoulders and pulled her towards her for a brief moment.

"Maybe," Clarice began slowly, "maybe he just doesn't realize how he feels yet." She giggled, "Not everyone is a Ravenclaw like us, after all."

Kitty smiled again, and this time it was much more genuine. A delighted expression settled over Clarice's features. "We'll _make _him realize," she declared. "Get dressed, okay? We have work to do."

The brunette kind of resented this comment, but she let it go without making anything of it. Kitty took off her dressing gown and slipped into her robes. She turned back towards the mirror to examine herself. The color really _did_ suit her. It made her look almost regal, in a way.

She shook her damp hair loose from its towel and picked up her wand from the nightstand. Kitty had cast a Drying Charm on her locks and was about to start sweeping them up into a ponytail when Clarice marched over to her.

"Oh, no you don't," the older girl growled. "Tonight is going to be different. You can't do anything like you normally do it. No ponytails."

Kitty stared at her friend, disbelief written on her features. But she could tell she wasn't going to get anywhere arguing with Clarice, at least not tonight. So instead of saying anything, Kitty merely began combing through her hair.

By the time she was finished, the other girl had her dress robes on as well. Clarice, of course, was sporting her signature violet.

"Hold still," Clarice instructed her. She stepped towards Kitty, brandishing her own wand. She took a section of Kitty's dark locks and wound them around her wand, murmuring a Heating Charm as she did so. "See?" Clarice asked. "Better than a ponytail."

The petite Ravenclaw had to hand it to her friend. When it came to things like this, Clarice did know what she was doing, much more than Kitty did, at least.

Clarice slowly worked her way around Kitty, humming now and then as she curled her hair. "This is going to be a big night for both of us, Kitty," the other girl murmured as she reached out with her free hand to give Kitty's shoulder a squeeze. "You know I have a sixth sense about these things."

"I know you _think_ you do," the brunette retorted, sticking her tongue out playfully. To say Clarice loved Divination would be an understatement. Kitty didn't have much patience for it, or for Clarice's many, many predictions.

Nor did she really want to think about what Clarice meant by a big night for both of them. Kitty knew what the other girl was referring to, of course, and knew she'd be getting all the details.

"I'm going to ignore that because I'm in a good mood," Clarice said. "Really though, it's going to be a good night." She offered Kitty a grin, "I bet he kisses you."

Kitty felt her cheeks warm. It wasn't like she _wanted_ Clarice to be incorrect, but at the same time she couldn't help but think that he'd never tried to kiss her before, so why would he start now?

"And before you say anything," the other girl continued, "I have evidence. Lots of evidence. For example, what was it exactly he said when he asked you to go with him tonight?"

"'There's no one I'd have a better time with than you'," Kitty recited. She'd replayed those exact words in her head countless times.

"Mhmm." Clarice, now finished curling Kitty's hair, went to open the trunk at the foot of her own bed. She pulled out a large bottle of potion that served the same purpose of Muggle hairspray and stepped back to Kitty. "Close your eyes," Clarice instructed as she started to spray. "Next thing on the list: he brought you that quill at the beginning of term."

That was true. Bobby _had_ brought her a nice quill, an eagle feather one that had been dyed a deep blue similar to the color of Kitty's dress robes.

"And earlier this year, when he tried to send you those Chocolate Frogs for Valentine's Day anonymously," Clarice went on, now rummaging through Kitty's school bag for her small collection of makeup. "That was sweet."

Kitty held still as the other girl came at her with the concealer and carefully applied it under her eyes. "It was," Kitty admitted as a smile found its way to her face.

"And there was Hogsmeade last winter. And the time he showed you where those passages were. Speaking of that, by the way, I'm still annoyed with you for not sharing with me."

"Really?" Kitty asked incredulously. Clarice shook her head, grinning again, and handed Kitty her lip gloss. The brunette girl unscrewed the cap and swiped the brush across her lips.

Clarice gave her an approving smile. "Perfect," she said. "Look at you."

Kitty looked back at the mirror on the other side of the room. She _did_look nice, she had to admit.

The older girl offered Kitty her arm. "It's going to be fun," she said softly. "Life changing. I _promise_." She waited until Kitty nodded in agreement before smiling. "Now come on. Let's not keep those boys of ours waiting."

And with that, they set off to what was sure to be a memorable evening.


	12. Chapter 12

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby was pacing.

He'd come to a decision. He was going to tell Kitty how he felt about her tonight. And depending on her response, it was either going to be the best night of his life or the worst.

But he was tired of it. He was tired of hearing all of James's jokes and remarks. He was tired of trying to just be Kitty's friend when she was so much more to him than that. One way or another, he had to get this weight off of his chest.

"You're making me dizzy," James muttered from where he was leaning against the wall near the staircase. "I don't know why you're so nervous. How hard is it to tell a girl you like her?"

Bobby narrowed his eyes at James, who didn't seem to notice. The other boy continued. "Then again, it _has_ taken you three years to ask her out. And even then you specified that it was 'as friends'. So maybe for you it _is_ hard."

"Shut up, James."

His fellow Gryffindor offered him a grin. "It's going to be fine. She's going to feel the same way and the two of you are going to make the rest of us sick because of how disgustingly in love you are."

Bobby thought his friend had a lot of nerve to comment on that, given he and Clarice got detention nearly every other week for being discovered in some nook or other. He rolled his eyes.

James pushed off the wall with his foot and moved closer to Bobby so that none of the other students that were milling around the entry hall would hear what he had to say next. "If either of us should be nervous about tonight, it should be me," he muttered to Bobby.

The blond boy knew exactly what James was getting at, but it wasn't really something he wanted to think about. Bobby was pretty used to James's lack of a filter, but he was of the opinion _some_ things should be kept private.

He didn't respond to James's plans, instead retreating back into his head. Even though Bobby was firm on tonight being the night, he still didn't know what approach he wanted to take. There were so many options…

Bobby was still mulling it over when James nudged him and pointed to the top of the staircase where Kitty and Clarice had just appeared. He stared, awestruck, as Kitty slowly descended.

She was dressed in sapphire blue satin dress robes. The color really suited her; she looked more elegant and grown up than Bobby could ever remember seeing her before. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders in soft curls, which only added to the affect.

"What, I look that bad?" she asked as she joined him. But her tone was light, airy, and Bobby knew she was only teasing.

"Blue is definitely not your color," Bobby answered seriously. He couldn't keep a straight face for very long, however. He swooped down to give her a peck on the cheek. "You're beautiful," Bobby told her sincerely. "Really."

A faint tinge of pink stained Kitty's cheeks. "You clean up nicely yourself," the younger girl complimented.

He grinned. "I try." Bobby offered his arm to Kitty and gestured towards the Great Hall. "Shall we?"

The Great Hall looked far more festive than Bobby could ever recall seeing it. There were Christmas trees all along the walls bordering the entire hall. Each tree was beautifully decorated with icicles and garlands and fairy lights in multiple colors. Instead of the normal House tables, there were about a hundred or so smaller round tables. These lined the hall similarly to the Christmas trees, leaving most of the floor empty for dancing.

"Prefects over here," Professor Grey called out, gesturing for them to join her.

They waved good-bye to James and Clarice and went to join the other prefects and the Head Girl and Boy. Bobby saw Kitty looking around, taking it all in. He noticed that the younger girl looked pretty nervous.

"Hey," the blond boy began, "I've done this before. I promise not to embarrass you."

"Like you could," she murmured, glancing up at him with a shy smile. "So you've done this before, huh?"

Bobby made a noise of agreement. "My parents," he sighed. "They live for the high society balls and galas and all that boring stuff. And before I started to be such an embarrassment to them, they used to make me take etiquette lessons," he explained.

The Ravenclaw looked at him sadly now. "I'm sure you're not an _embarrassment_," Kitty said. Bobby knew she meant it to be comforting, but in truth it really wasn't.

"It isn't a big deal." He grinned at her as Professors Grey and Summers circled the floor and moved the various couples around into position. "Ready?" he asked as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gave the signal to the band to start the music.

"Guess I have to be," Kitty quipped as she placed her hand in his. He put her free hand on her waist as the music started up.

Bobby had never liked dancing before but, as with many things when it came to Kitty, it wasn't so bad. It was kind of nice, really. The content look on the younger girl's face told him she agreed.

The music came to an end a little too soon for Bobby's taste. The rest of the students and staff applauded for them. Bobby grinned at the Ravenclaw.

"See? I told you I wouldn't embarrass you," he said. The brunette rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.

"Oh, Bobby, I knew you wouldn't," Kitty replied as they took their seats at the High Table.

The table was set as it typically was for feasts, with the usual golden plates and crystal goblets. However, instead of the food being laid out for them, there were sheets of parchment that appeared to be menus instead. Bobby studied his for a moment, not quite sure of what to do.

Before it got too awkward, he started hearing the other people at the table speaking directly to their plates. Bobby did the same.

"See, I knew you could figure it out," Kitty teased as she leaned over towards him. She put her hand on his arm, which he swatted away playfully.

"We can't all be Ravenclaws," Bobby muttered to her, which made her grin.

As he looked away from her, he noticed that Professor Xavier seemed to be watching them fondly, as if he approved. One of the rumors that surrounded the headmaster was that he had the ability to read minds. Of course, Bobby knew this wasn't really possible, but still. Sometimes he wondered. Either way, he supposed it was a good thing that _someone_ approved.

As dinner went on, Bobby couldn't help but notice how much Kitty seemed to be enjoying herself. She seemed much more relaxed than normal, and was it his imagination or did her hand seem to be finding its way to his arm a lot? Not that he was complaining.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her, that was for sure. Even as she chatted with Alison Blair, the Ravenclaw prefect on her other side, he couldn't pay attention to anyone else. It was nice to see her so happy.

The feast came to an end. The Weird Sisters — a band Bobby couldn't believe was still together — started playing again. Most of the other students swarmed onto the floor.

Kitty, however, seemed content to watch, at least for the moment. She made no effort to move from her seat, instead turning in it to watch the other students. After a moment, she nudged him and pointed over to the middle of the floor, where James and Clarice were putting on quite the show.

"They are are something else," Kitty laughed, shaking her head.

"They do make quite a pair," Bobby agreed. He tried not to think about what he knew about James's plans for the night. Clearing these thoughts away, Bobby looked back over at his date for the evening. "Hey, Kit?" he asked.

She turned to him, still smiling. "Yes?"

The blond boy forced himself to breathe, "Would you like to dance?" He hoped desperately she didn't notice his nervousness.

"I'd like that," Kitty agreed softly. Bobby got to his feet and offered her his arm once more. Together they made their way to the dance floor.

Bobby couldn't help but notice that a lot of eyes seemed to be on Kitty. It didn't surprise him; he knew he couldn't have been the only one to be harboring a crush on the Ravenclaw girl. He had to admit he was a little smug at being the person who was here with her tonight.

After a few songs, Kitty suggested they go sit down. Bobby was more than happy to oblige. Being in the mob of people crowded together was making him uncomfortably hot. Kitty took him by the hand and led the way out.

They found James and Clarice seated at an otherwise empty table. Clarice immediately leaned forward to murmur something to her best friend, at which Kitty grinned. James shot him a look that clearly asked how it had gone. Bobby shook his head. The other boy rolled his eyes at this response.

The four of them fell into their usual pattern of chatting and teasing each other. Every once in a while they'd go back to dancing, usually at Clarice's insistence. At the end of one particularly fast song, Bobby and James volunteered to go get drinks. "I can't believe you still haven't told her," James muttered.

"Would you _shut up_?" Bobby growled. "I'll do it when it feels right."

James looked skeptical but thankfully didn't press the matter further. They finished collecting their goblets of pumpkin juice and returned to the table. Kitty and Clarice once again had their heads together and were giggling about something.

Kitty glanced up at him when he set the drink down in front of her. "Thank you," she murmured. Bobby nodded and took a sip of his own drink, suddenly nervous again.

A slow song started, one that was much slower than any of the others they'd been dancing to all night.

Before the Gryffindor boy really knew what he was doing, he had offered Kitty his hand. She accepted it with a shy smile.

It was nice to pull her close, Bobby thought. It was really more of a sway than a dance, but it was nice all the same. They were even closer now than they had been during the opening dance. _'Now might be a good time,' _a little voice muttered in his head. But Bobby ignored it, choosing instead to focus on how snugly Kitty fit into his arms, how warm she was, how nice she smelled…

All too soon, the slow song ended and she pulled away from him. James and Clarice were conspicuously absent from the table when they returned. Kitty's expression twisted into a grimace.

"I guarantee I will know way, way more about them in the morning than I ever wanted to," the younger girl muttered.

"Probably," he agreed, "but at least we'll be in that boat together."

She smiled now. "That's oddly comforting," she replied, putting her hand on top of his. "What would I do without you?" This question was clearly meant in a joking way, but he still liked the way it sounded.

They went back to chatting about more pleasant things, their friends' activities forgotten for the moment. It was always so easy to talk to her. And her hand was still lingering on his…

The ball was decidedly coming to an end. Most of the other students had gone already. It was now or never…

Bobby got to his feet. "Ready?" he asked, reaching for her hand again. Kitty took it, her fingers lacing through his without any hesitation.

No one seemed to be out in the corridors, so they took their time heading up to Ravenclaw Tower. This time, unlike all the other times Bobby had escorted her back to her dorm, he followed her up the stone steps to a door. There was no handle or keyhole in this door; only a knocker in the shape of the signature Ravenclaw eagle. Kitty knocked on the door once and the eagle spoke, "When is a door not a door?"

This only served to confuse Bobby, but it seemed to make sense to Kitty. She rolled her eyes and looked up to him. "Such an easy one," Kitty said. Turning back to the door, she replied, "When it's ajar."

The door opened. Bobby caught a glimpse of the deserted Ravenclaw common room before Kitty stepped away from it.

She tilted her head back to look at him. That shy smile he'd always loved on her was spread across her features. Bobby remembered his promise to himself. He had enough of what he wanted to say to her planned out when Kitty piped up.

"I had a really nice time tonight, Bobby."

He returned Kitty's smile. "So did I," he agreed, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

Kitty stepped closer to him, head still tilted back. And before Bobby really knew what was happening, she was standing on her tiptoes with her eyes closed. Her lips pressed against his.

Bobby froze. That little voice that had spoken to him before yelled at him, _'Kiss her back, you idiot!'_ But he was so completely shocked by this turn of events that he couldn't do much of anything.

All too soon Kitty drew away from him. There were tears sparkling in her eyes. "Oh," she mumbled, sounding positively devastated. She moved backwards towards the still open door, gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

"Kitty, wait," Bobby pleaded, stepping closer to her. "_Please_."

She didn't listen, instead retreating into her common room.

The last thing he saw before the door shut was a tear sliding down her face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Must Be Magic**

Kitty didn't know how she managed to make it into her dormitory. She was still looking at the floor as her tears fell. It was something of a miracle that she found the correct door without running into anyone. Thankfully, the dorm was abandoned as well. Wherever the other fourth year Ravenclaw girls were, they weren't here.

She sank down onto her bed, hiding her face in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? She should never have followed Clarice's advice. Kitty was sure she had never felt so thoroughly embarrassed in all her life.

It had been such a perfect night. Bobby had told her she was beautiful; they had danced and talked and laughed… So when he was walking her back to the Tower, Kitty had decided to go for it. In that moment she had been so sure…

And she had been wrong. All he had done was stand there motionless while she kissed him. Coming from Bobby, her best friend in the world, the sting of rejection was worse than it had ever been before.

He'd had the nerve to beg her to wait for him. But Kitty didn't want to hear pretty words designed to make her feel better; all she wanted now was to be alone.

Her tears eventually subsided. The brunette girl got up from her bed and walked into the dormitory bathroom so she could wash her face. When she returned, two of her fellow Ravenclaws had joined her. Kitty looked down again. The last thing she wanted was to talk about her night with them.

Kitty drew the sky blue curtains around her bed shut and fished a pair of pajamas out of her trunk. She changed into them and left her dress robes in a crumpled heap on the floor, too exhausted to put them away properly.

She climbed into bed despite knowing that sleep would be hours away tonight, if it came at all. Staring up at the top of her bed's silk hangings, she wondered how it had gone so wrong so quickly. This was exactly why Kitty didn't act on impulse or take risks; every time she did, it turned out like this.

She knew she couldn't be friends with Bobby anymore. It would be too hard to spend time with him knowing she had humiliated herself the way she had. And Kitty had too much pride to hang around him and hope he might change his mind one day.

It would inevitably harm her friendships with James and Clarice as well. Kitty knew her friend would take her side no matter what, which would leave James in an awkward position caught between his best friend and his girlfriend. Kitty shook her head. All this damage she had caused with just one simple kiss.

The other girls eventually went to bed themselves. Clarice still hadn't come back yet, not that Kitty was particularly interested in speaking with her friend at the moment. If Clarice hadn't encouraged her, Kitty knew she never would have done what she had.

Kitty idly wondered if she should go see the school nurse, Annie, and ask for a sleeping potion. She didn't want to think about what a disaster the ball had ended up being. The Ravenclaw in her, however, would not let her mind rest. Kitty knew she was going to spend hours overanalyzing the entire evening and that the only result that would come from it would be her total and complete misery.

But on the other hand, she knew if she did go and ask the nurse for a sleep aid, it would only lead to a host of questions about why she needed one. And explaining to anyone what had happened seemed worse to the brunette girl than replaying each memory ad naseum.

So in bed she stayed. It was during the third rerun of the ball's events that the dormitory door opened. Kitty would know the sound of Clarice's footsteps anywhere. She sat up, bracing herself for the other girl to start talking.

Just as she had predicted, moment later the curtains on her bed were being opened. Clarice stood at Kitty's bedside, one hand holding her lit wand aloft. "Good, you're still awake," she whispered. A smile was stretched across her features. "I have so much to tell you, and I know you have a lot to tell me, too." She made a shooing motion. "Scoot over. You can go first."

Kitty, however, did not scoot over. Instead, she regarded her friend with a blank stare. Clarice's smile vanished and was replaced with a frown. "Kitty, what's the matter?" she asked.

"You were wrong," Kitty told her. "You were completely, totally wrong."

The other girl tilted her head. "About Bobby?"

Kitty nodded, feeling fresh tears stinging her eyes. Clarice sat down at Kitty's feet and reached towards her as if she intended to give Kitty a hug. The brunette girl shrank back.

"I don't want to talk right now," Kitty mumbled. "Just…leave me alone, okay?"

Clarice looked hurt but she didn't press the issue. She got up, drawing the hangings closed as she left.

Kitty couldn't hold her tears back any longer. She sank back down onto her pillows and curled into a tight ball. She was no stranger to crying herself to sleep; it had happened a lot in her younger years.

This time, however, was worse. This time, her heart was broken.

XxXxX

When Kitty woke up the next morning, she had every intention of apologizing to Clarice. But this was not to be the case. The other girl, who was far from an early riser, had already gone down to breakfast.

Kitty didn't have any plans to eat in the Great Hall. She didn't want to see anyone, especially Bobby. Kitty was sure that he would try to "explain" and to be honest, she wasn't ready to hear it. A rejection was a rejection. The reasons behind it didn't matter.

She _was_ hungry though. It wasn't going to do her any good to starve herself, either. The brunette girl just supposed it was a good thing she knew how to get into the kitchens. That was the only solution she could think of.

And Kitty was determined not to waste the day, either. She packed up her school bag full of textbooks and checked her ink and parchment supplies. She'd be spending the day in the library.

Not many people seemed to be out and about — probably still sleeping off the ball. No one stopped Kitty from entering the kitchens. The excited chatter of the house-elves reminded Kitty of the only other time she'd been here, the time with Bobby. A pang of sadness went through her.

The house-elves assured her she was to help herself to anything she liked. Kitty loaded up a plate with scrambled eggs and toast and poured herself a big mug of coffee.

As she ate, she tried to think about what she was going to do once she ran into Bobby. It had occurred to Kitty that he would probably think to look for her in the library. He knew her well, after all.

Kitty knew she wasn't ready to handle seeing him yet and she didn't want to make a scene. The one good thing about last night was that at least no one else had witnessed her humiliation. Kitty had no doubts it would be the talk of the school once classes resumed. It was a well known fact that they were close friends.

Once the brunette girl had finished her breakfast, she thanked the house-elves and went on her way. The corridors held more signs of life this time around, but still no Bobby. Kitty was thankful for that.

The Ravenclaw settled in at a table in the back corner of the library and tried to decide where to start with her homework. She let out one miserable sigh as took her Potions text from her bag.

Hogwarts had never felt less like home.

XxXxX

As it turned out, getting her heart broken was quite productive for Kitty. In the week between Christmas and New Year's, she had finished her Potions and Transfiguration essays and gotten a bit of a head start on some of the new charms they were supposed to be learning once the new term started.

She had managed to avoid Bobby completely. Kitty was sure he would have thought to check in the library for her, but either it hadn't occurred to him or he was doing the polite thing and staying away on purpose. The Ravenclaw girl wouldn't put it past him; he had always displayed very good manners.

Before she had gone back to eating in the Great Hall a few days after the Yule Ball, Kitty had worked out a plan. She walked in with her gaze averted and always sat with her back to the Gryffindor table. It might not have been the most mature behavior on her part, but so far it had worked.

But though she hadn't yet seen Bobby in the flesh, there had been attempts at communication. Two days after their disastrous kiss, Kitty had been interrupted in the library by a tapping on the window. She had found Bobby's snowy owl, Elsa, waiting for her with a letter. Kitty had taken the letter and thrown it into the common room fire as soon as she'd returned without reading it.

Just yesterday she had found Lockheed curled on her bed, purring. Lockheed was not normally the type of cat who purred, so Kitty had been curious. When she had gone to pet him, she had discovered a note with her name on it written in Bobby's handwriting. It all made sense to Kitty then. She was willing to bet that Bobby, wherever he was, now sported some nasty scratches.

Kitty hadn't read that letter, either. She had marched right back down to the common room and tossed it into the fire, just as she had with the first.

Now it was the last night of the winter holidays. Lessons were set to resume in the morning. Kitty knew it would be a lot harder to avoid Bobby now that she couldn't spend her days holed up doing schoolwork. And she couldn't avoid him alone…

So she knew she had to make up with Clarice. Truth be told, she had been wanting to do that ever since she had snapped at the other girl, but she hadn't had the chance. Every time she had tried to open her mouth she had chickened out.

She was in luck, however. Coming out of the bathroom after a shower, Kitty discovered that her friend was the only other occupant of the dorm at the moment. The brunette girl took a deep breath. "Hi, Clarice," she offered in a small voice.

Clarice, standing at the foot of her bed packing up her school bag, looked over her shoulder. She regarded Kitty with cold green eyes. "Oh, are you speaking to me now?" she asked.

Kitty looked down at the floor. "Never mind," she said quietly. "Forget it."

Clarice's features softened. "Wait, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Kitty held up her hands. "No, you had every right to. I was terrible to you that night. I'd be mad at me too."

"I wasn't mad. You hurt my feelings, Kitty. We talk about everything. You've never pushed me away like that before," Clarice pointed out.

The brunette nodded. She hadn't thought of it like that. "I'm sorry. I was upset that night, but I didn't have to take it out on you." She crossed the dorm to sit down on her bed. "But if you don't mind hearing about it now, I could use a best friend."

The other girl sank down opposite Kitty and leaned forward to hold both of her hands. "You know I'm here for you, Kitty," Clarice murmured.

"We had such a nice night," she began. "You were there for most of it, so you knew all that. But when Bobby was walking me back to the common room, I decided I was going to go for it. I kissed him," she admitted, glancing up at Clarice.

Her eyes widened. "You kissed him?" she asked, incredulous. "Wow. I wouldn't have expected that from you."

"Yeah, well," Kitty muttered, "it didn't work out. He didn't kiss me back."

"Oh," Clarice whispered. She got up from her bed to perch beside Kitty. She pulled the brunette into her arms. "It all makes sense now," she said, mostly to herself. "Oh, Kitty, I'm so sorry."

The tears Kitty had been holding back since that first night suddenly began stinging at her eyes again. Clarice's arms tightened around her. "Hey, listen to me," she said in a low voice, "if he doesn't like you, it's his loss. It really is. And you will find someone better."

"Better than Bobby?" Kitty asked. She was doubtful such a person existed. She knew, somewhere deep down, that she was being dramatic, but she'd just had her heart broken. She was entitled to be dramatic.

"Yes," Clarice said firmly. "Better than Bobby." She rubbed a few circles across Kitty's back. "You should get some sleep. We're going to have to get up early if you want to avoid seeing him."

"I know it's stupid," Kitty mumbled.

Clarice made a noise of disagreement. "You couldn't be stupid," she said kindly. "I understand. I wouldn't want to see him either."

Kitty didn't respond. "Come on," Clarice said, more firmly, "into bed. I'll stay with you, if you want," she continued.

The brunette girl nodded. She still wanted the comfort her best friend offered. Kitty got up to peel the blankets back while Clarice retreated into her own bed area to get changed.

Kitty was still sitting up when Clarice emerged from behind her curtains. She had her pajamas on. Clarice climbed into bed with her and murmured a silencing charm once she was settled.

"It's okay, Kitty," Clarice said quietly. "You can cry if you want. I know it hurts." She offered Kitty her arms again. The younger girl burrowed into them gratefully.

It would be another long night, but at least now she wasn't alone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Must Be Magic**

It had been a long three months.

Everything had gone wrong the night of the Yule Ball. Ever since he had stupidly just stood there while Kitty kissed him, life had been far from fun.

For one thing, his friendships with James and Clarice were strained, to put it mildly. Bobby had expected Clarice to take Kitty's side, of course. And because Clarice was mad at him, he knew she was probably putting pressure on James. The other boy was not exactly the kind of person who did what his girlfriend said just because she said to do it, but he _had _been distant.

Bobby tried not to blame James though, or even Clarice. Being stuck between his best friend and his girlfriend couldn't have been fun for James. And Clarice was a loyal friend to Kitty; of course she wanted to protect the younger girl's feelings.

Still though, it was hard. James had always been _his_ friend, but it was clear where he stood on this issue. And every time he saw Clarice these days, she always seemed to be touching Kitty protectively, green eyes impossibly narrow. Bobby had the distinct impression that Clarice wouldn't hesitate to hex him if he even attempted to speak in her presence.

And of course, he hadn't spoken to Kitty at all. Bobby had tried, in those first few days after the ball. He had hoped he'd be able to explain that he had merely been in shock, that he hadn't meant to hurt her, and that he definitely wanted a second shot at kissing her.

But Kitty had ignored him. His owl went unanswered. A few days after that, he'd seen Lockheed lurking in the corridor near the steps that led up to Ravenclaw Tower. He had hastily scrawled a note and put it under Lockheed's collar, which earned him three identical claw marks across the back of his hand. This time, however, Kitty wasn't around to offer him ointment as she had done before.

The blond boy was miserable, to put it lightly. He missed having the younger girl around; that's all there was to it. He missed her shy smile and pink cheeks. He missed that subtle, dry sense of humor and he missed the way his heart skipped a beat whenever her skin brushed against his. He could have gone on forever about everything he missed, but he was beginning to feel pathetic.

His school work was suffering because he couldn't concentrate on it. The same thing with Quidditch too. The game Bobby had loved his whole life no longer brought him joy. His appetite was nonexistent and he couldn't sleep.

Bobby had been hauled in for more than one meeting with his head of House, Professor Summers. Each time Professor Summers had expressed his concerns for Bobby's wellbeing, but the last thing he wanted was to talk about his love life with his _teacher_. He answered in monotone, one word responses every time until he was allowed to leave. Bobby was sure it was only a matter of time until he was brought into Professor Xavier's office.

In the meantime though, he continued to be miserable. He had taken to carrying around the Chocolate Frog card Kitty had made for him in his school bag. He looked at it from time to time between classes, not that it really helped. If anything, it made Bobby feel worse.

Now was one of those times. He had taken it out on his way back up to the common room after classes were done for the day. The familiar pang of sadness went through him. Even all these years later Bobby still couldn't believe that Kitty had done this for him.

The younger version of himself looked happier than he had been in a long time. Bobby sighed as he turned a corner, still gazing down at Kitty's careful handwriting that so accurately described him. The Gryffindor was so caught up in studying it for the thousandth time that he walked right into someone. Bobby dropped his card and a stack of books at the sudden impact.

His heart swelled hopefully for a moment when the thought that maybe it was Kitty crossed his mind. However, Bobby was only disappointed at who it actually was.

His brother Ronny sneered at him. "Well, if it isn't my big brother," he remarked coldly. "I've been meaning to have a chat with you."

"I'm really not in the mood," Bobby snarled as he knelt to gather his scattered books. Bobby wasn't the least bit threatened by his brother and was sure anything Ronny had to say would just be the same tired cliches their parents spouted at him whenever he was home. Despite knowing all of this, however, Bobby hadn't been lying. He _wasn't_ in the mood to deal with Ronny at the moment.

"Mother is beside herself, you know," Ronny continued. "She blames herself for giving birth to someone who couldn't be more of a disappointment to his family if he tried."

The blond boy felt his blood begin to boil. He reached into his robes for his wand. "I'm warning you," Bobby muttered, "get out of here before I curse you."

The younger Drake sibling ignored him. "Such a disgrace," he said as he stepped closer to where Bobby was kneeling. "A Drake pining over a _Mudblood_."

Ronny continued to look down at him cruelly. Bobby saw his brother's gaze land on the Chocolate Frog card. "Well well, what do we have here?" Bobby reached for it but Ronny got there first. "Something precious from the Mudblood, I'd guess," Ronny drawled. "Let's see if it's impervious to fire, shall we?"

Bobby got to his feet. "Give it back, Ronny," he said quietly.

Ronny had pulled out his own wand now. A tiny flame bloomed from the tip. Ronny held the card over it, his expression taunting.

And then before Bobby could do anything else, his brother started to scream. Bobby watched, eyes wide, as a number of tiny welts erupted across Ronny's skin. Bobby would know a Stinging Hex anywhere; it was one of Kitty's specialties.

Unable to concentrate further, the flame went out from Ronny's wand. He dropped the card and wheeled around. When his brother moved, Bobby could see that the person who had cast the hex was none other than Kitty.

She was alone for once; Clarice was nowhere in sight. Her features were calm, but her arms were crossed over her chest. Her wand was clutched tightly in one hand.

"You," Ronny breathed. "Oh, you are going to pay for that, Mudblood." He raised his wand. His face twisted into a grimace; the welts must have been making it painful to move. Bobby was glad he hasn't been on the receiving end of this particular curse.

Ronny was fuming. "I'll be talking to Xavier about you. Pack your bags, Mudblood."

Kitty merely looked bored. She had never looked less like that first year Ravenclaw Bobby had met all those years ago. "Prove it was me," she challenged. "No one else is going to back you up. I know for a fact that Bobby won't, will you, Bobby?" Kitty added, acknowledging his presence with a nod.

Bobby shook his head. "Nope."

Ronny's gaze flickered back and forth between them for a moment. "You deserve each other," the Slytherin boy declared.

"Yeah, whatever," Kitty replied, waving her wand hand carelessly. Bobby didn't miss the way his brother eyed her warily. "You should get to the hospital wing."

The younger boy stalked off, still muttering to himself. Once he had gone, Kitty let out a sigh. She walked towards Bobby. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He almost didn't respond. This was the closest he had been to Kitty in ages. She had gotten so good at avoiding him there were times he had wondered if she had learned to walk through walls. Up close, Bobby could see how tired she looked, but there was something else too. She was _sad_. His chest ached.

"No, I'm not okay," Bobby told her. Kitty frowned, concerned, her hand stretching out towards him. Then she remembered herself and pulled her hand back, much to the blond boy's regret.

"It's not because of my brother," Bobby continued. "It's because of what happened with us."

"I'm not talking about that with you," the brunette said. Her tone was firm. "I'm not — I'm not ready."

He nodded quickly and hoped his disappointment didn't show on his face. Bobby wanted desperately to ask if she had any idea when she might want to talk to him again, just so he had some frame of reference, but he was sure that would only make it worse. "I miss you, though," Bobby said before he could stop himself.

Kitty considered this for a moment. "Yeah. I miss you, too."

She knelt to help him gather his scattered books. Bobby could only think of how similar this was to the day they had first met. He hoped this wasn't the world's way of telling him they had come full circle. He wasn't ready to let go of her.

Kitty got to the Chocolate Frog card before he did. She studied it for a moment, brown eyes serious. "Have you really been carrying this around because you miss me?"

"Yes," he answered truthfully.

A pained expression flitted over Kitty's face. Her hand clenched around the Chocolate Frog card. For a moment Bobby wondered if she wasn't going to give it back. He didn't think she was petty like that, but she was also hurting. Pain like that could change people.

But her grip slackened and she offered the card back to him, her skin brushing his softly. "Here. I — I have to go." Kitty got to her feet and hurried down the corridor, very determinedly not looking back at him.

Bobby watched her go, a sigh escaping his lips. There was nothing he wouldn't have done for the chance to make things right with Kitty, but it didn't look like she was ever going to give him a chance.


	15. Chapter 15

**Must Be Magic**

It was the morning of the Quidditch finals and Kitty had a date. A date she was not particularly looking forward to.

Which was stupid, really. Peter was a perfectly nice boy and he obviously liked her. Kitty was well aware of the little crush the older boy had on her. When he had asked to speak to her alone after their Charms Club meeting, he had sounded so nervous about asking her out that she couldn't help but say yes. Her agreement was more out of kindness than out of any desire to actually date him.

She was plenty conflicted over this. The brunette girl was well aware she couldn't just spend the rest of her life pining for Bobby, but at the same time she couldn't really see herself with Peter. He was a nice boy, sure, quiet and sweet. And as soon as she had had a chance to actually think about the fact that she had agreed to go out with him, Kitty hated herself.

"I should have let him down easy," the Ravenclaw girl moaned to Clarice, who was sprawled across her bed watching Kitty get ready. "It would have been nicer in the long run."

The other girl sat up, green eyes narrowed. "You haven't even given him a chance, Kitty," Clarice said gently. "You might find out that you actually really like him."

Kitty was doubtful about this statement. She was confident she still wasn't over Bobby despite his rejection and she didn't think watching one Quidditch game with Peter was going to change that.

"You should wear the blue sweater," Clarice continued. "That tan washes you out."

The Ravenclaw girl knew that Clarice was only trying to be helpful, but she really didn't want any input. Kitty couldn't help but remember the last time she had taken Clarice's advice.

She knew this was an incredibly petty way to think and that Clarice had only been trying to help her. But it didn't change the fact that she felt it.

It had nothing at all to do with the fact that Bobby had always liked her in blue.

"Come on, Kitty, smile," Clarice coaxed. "It hurts me to see you frowning all the time." The other girl got up from her bed and walked over to where Kitty stood. Clarice offered her a shoulder squeeze. "Even if you don't like Peter, I still want you to know that I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me," Kitty repeated. "Why?"

"Because," Clarice began with a roll of her eyes, like it should be obvious, "you agreed to go out with someone. That's a big step."

Kitty shook her head, words of protest forming on her tongue. "It's not like I —"

"I'm proud of you," Clarice repeated loudly. "Nothing you can say is going to change that." Before Kitty could move away, the older girl wrapped her in a hug. After a moment, Kitty leaned into the embrace and returned it.

When Clarice pulled away, she frowned slightly. "I'm not talking you out of the tan, am I?" she asked.

Kitty shook her head again, grinning now. "At least wear lip gloss then," Clarice went on. "Something with color, not that clear one."

The younger girl did as she was told. She leaned into the mirror as she applied a pale pink gloss to her lips before turning back to Clarice. "Ready?"

"Yep," her fellow Ravenclaw agreed. She linked her arm through Kitty's as she so often did these days. Together they made their way down to the Great Hall.

Kitty found herself scanning the students milling around in front of the Great Hall. She knew exactly who she was hoping to see, even though she knew she shouldn't have been looking for him. She had a date today, after all. Bobby should have been the last person on her mind.

"Stop that," Clarice demanded as she towed Kitty into the dining hall.

Kitty picked at her breakfast slowly. The brunette was nervous now. She didn't have any idea what to talk to Peter about, really. They didn't have any common classes or anything. All her good Hogwarts stories involved Bobby in some way. Despite her limited dating experience, even Kitty knew better than to talk about another guy while on a date.

Clarice watched with a frown creasing her face. "Come on, Kitty. Don't you have to go meet Peter now?"

"Yeah," the brunette agreed, pushing her plate away. She followed Clarice out. No sooner had they reached the hall did the duo run right into Peter.

He beamed at her. "Hello, Kitty," he greeted warmly. "Hi Clarice," the older boy added.

"Hi," the other girl replied. "I'm going to go find James. You two have fun." Clarice winked at Kitty before sauntering off.

Kitty soon found herself wishing that Clarice hadn't left. She still didn't know what to talk about with the older boy.

"Are you excited about the game?" she asked finally.

Peter nodded. "It'll be a good one," he replied. "That rivalry always makes it interesting. Though if I had to pick," Peter added, "I would put my money on Gryffindor."

"Why's that?" Kitty asked, grateful for this opportunity to keep the conversation going.

"Bobby Drake is a good Keeper. Way better than the Slytherin one. In a game that's going to be a close one, that's an advantage Gryffindor needs."

She managed a smile at this assessment but ignored the part about Bobby. "So why don't you play?"

Peter gave her that shy look she had always associated with him. "I prefer watching."

Before Kitty could respond to this, a large group of students filed out of the Great Hall. Clarice and James walked out hand in hand, but both acknowledged she and Peter with a nod. Not too far behind them was Bobby.

The Gryffindor froze in his tracks. He stared at them for a moment, icy blue eyes darting back and forth between them. Bobby looked more than a little shocked to see her standing there with Peter. Kitty tried to make herself not care, but every instinct in her body was telling her to go to him and explain.

"Aren't you going to go wish him luck?" Peter asked. "I know the two of you are friends."

Kitty forced herself to tear her gaze away from Bobby. "We aren't really talking right now," she explained. Peter nodded, looking like he was genuinely sad to hear it. But he was too much of a gentleman to pry, which Kitty greatly appreciated in that moment.

"We should go," Peter said after a moment, "if we want to get good seats."

He was right, of course. The Ravenclaw girl fell into step beside him as they made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. They were silent but it wasn't an awkward silence, which was more than Kitty could have asked for. When they reached the stands, Peter gestured for her to lead the way. Before she really realized what she was doing, Kitty chose the stairs that would take her to her usual spot right behind the Gryffindor goals. Peter didn't seem to mind this though.

As the teams assembled down on the field, Kitty could just make out Bobby. He seemed to be looking around up at the stands. She wondered if he was looking for her.

'_Even if he is, it doesn't matter_,' Kitty told herself. She groaned inwardly. She couldn't even convince herself. Of course it mattered.

The game started and the players scattered. Kitty caught a glimpse of Bobby's face as he took his position at the goal posts. The Gryffindor boy's distant expression suggested that the last thing on his mind was the game.

Gryffindor started out strong, scoring three goals within the first fifteen minutes. It was when Slytherin got possession of the Quaffle that things turned ugly.

Bobby wasn't playing like himself to put it simply. Kitty had seen him go through rough games before but never like this. His form was sloppy. He had never let in so many goals in his life. Finally, the Gryffindor captain signaled to Professor Howlett for a timeout.

Kitty turned to her companion as the team conversed on the field. Bobby, she knew, was taking the heat for the five goals he had let through. "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't bet on Gryffindor," the brunette remarked.

Peter shook his head. "They aren't too far behind. They'll get back into it no problem."

The Gryffindors took to the skies again. Bobby circled the goalposts. From what Kitty could see, he didn't look quite as distracted now. A Slytherin Chaser came spending down the field towards Bobby. Thankfully, this time Bobby made the save. The majority of the crowd cheered. He turned in midair to wave at the roaring students.

"See, he figured it out," Peter said with a small smile.

But no sooner had the words left his mouth did something quite unfortunate happen. John Allerdyce, clearly furious with Bobby's save, whacked a Bludger at Bobby. He was known to play dirty, but Kitty had never seen him hurt someone who had their back turned.

The Bludger connected with the back of Bobby's head. The blond boy fell headfirst off of his broom and plummeted rapidly toward the ground. Kitty was aware of a terrified shriek filling the air. It took her a moment to realize it was hers.

Chaos erupted on the field. Bobby's descent slowed as Professor Xavier himself came out onto the pitch, his wand raised. The headmaster conjured a stretcher under Bobby and lowered him to it. He started back towards the castle with his wand pointed at Bobby so he could be moved with magic.

The Gryffindor team attempted to charge at the Slytherins, James at the front of the pack. Professors LeBeau, McCoy, and Summers raced onto the field and forced the groups apart. Professor LeBeau, the head of Slytherin, took John aside. Kitty could only imagine what he was saying to the boy. It was well known that Professor LeBeau was rather lax when it came to punishments.

Professor Grey's voice came over the magical speakers normally used for the game commentary. "The Quidditch finals have been postponed. If you would all please return to the castle in an orderly manner…"

Peter put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll walk you back to your common room," he said gently.

Kitty followed the older Hufflepuff in a daze. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. John was a bully, sure, and a cruel one. Kitty had learned that her first day here. But to attack Bobby like that…

She looked up, startled, when Peter stopped. "This is the hospital wing," Kitty said.

"You should be here when he wakes up," Peter said. It was the firmest Kitty had ever heard him sound. He gave her a brief smile, but Kitty could tell he knew she wasn't over Bobby. The Ravenclaw managed a smile for him as well. He was much more understanding than she could have hoped for.

She waited until he had walked away before stepping into the hospital wing. Annie, the school nurse, was bustling around the bed Bobby now occupied. At the sound of Kitty's footsteps, the older woman glanced over her shoulder.

"He'll be just fine," Annie promised. "I've mended Quidditch injuries much worse than a Bludger to the head. You're welcome to stay awhile though."

Kitty settled into a chair at the foot of the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She trusted the nurse, of course she did, but she would have felt better if he was awake.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when the door opened again. Two sets of footfalls echoed across the stone floor. Kitty felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Clarice. The other girl was wearing a frown. Kitty glanced around for James. He leaned against the wall by the door, arms folded tightly over his chest.

"He'll be fine," Kitty reported. "He's just unconscious."

There was a quiet smacking sound behind her. If Kitty had to guess, James had probably punched his palm with his other fist. She had seen him do that often over the years.

"I'm gonna kill Allerdyce," James declared. "I don't even need my wand. I'm just gonna do it with my bare hands." Kitty and Clarice both turned to look at him. His expression was pure fury. James pushed off the wall with his foot and stalked out of the hospital wing.

Clarice watched him go sadly. "I thought I had calmed him down off the warpath," she murmured. "But I guess seeing Bobby…"

"I'm okay," Kitty said quietly. "Go take care of James, keep him out of trouble. I'll see you later."

The other girl looked as if she were seriously torn, but after a moment she turned and followed after James. Kitty hoped Clarice got to him before he did anything stupid. The last thing James needed was to get himself in more trouble.

Kitty continued to watch Bobby for awhile, trying not to picture how he had fallen off his broom earlier. Of course, the more she tried not to think about it, the more it replayed in her mind. Seeing him slumping forward and falling from his broom like that… Well, her throat still hurt from screaming. It was so lucky Professor Xavier had acted quickly.

She didn't know how long it had been when Bobby started to stir. He let out a groan and sat up slowly. He looked around, no doubt wondering how he had landed in the hospital wing. When he focused on her, he blinked, clearly surprised.

"You're here."

Kitty couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You fell fifty feet from a broomstick, Bobby. Where else would I be?"

"On a date with your boyfriend," he answered promptly, like he had been stewing over this even while knocked out.

"Peter's not my boyfriend," the brunette scoffed. "And even if he was, it's none of your business who I date, Bobby Drake."

He winced at her use of his full name. "You're right," Bobby agreed after a moment. "I'm sorry."

Appeased by this, Kitty went on. "If you must know, he was the one who insisted I cut our date short to be here with you." She knew she was being a little petty, but the boyfriend comment had rubbed her the wrong way.

"Well I'm glad that he did," the blond boy murmured. "It's nice to have you here."

She rolled her eyes again. "You're in the hospital wing, genius. Of course it's not nice to have me here," Kitty pointed out. Despite her harsh tone, Bobby smiled.

"James and Clarice were here too," the younger girl informed him. "James went to kill John or something."

Bobby didn't seem to care about this. "But you stayed," he replied. "That's more than I would have gotten a few months ago."

Kitty was taken aback by this logic for a moment. She realized he was right; if this had happened earlier in their period of not talking she knew she would have been too hurt to be at his side now.

"You need to rest," Kitty murmured. "You had a long day."

"I'm right," Bobby said, more to himself than to her. "I'm so right."

Kitty was saved from responding to this by Annie returning to Bobby's bed. The nurse bustled about, fussing over him now that he was awake. He sat there patiently while Annie fluffed his pillows before finally retreating into her office. All the while Bobby watched her, still looking very satisfied.

"Come sit with me?" the blond boy asked once they were alone again. "Please?"

The brunette hesitated for a moment. But she really had missed him over the past few months and he had fallen off his broom today. The least Kitty could do was sit a little closer to him.

She moved her chair from the end of the bed to the side. Bobby frowned as she huddled up in it once more. "Kitty," he said softly, reaching for her. Sighing, she stretched a hand out towards him in return. Bobby's cool hand folded around hers.

Kitty stayed with him until Annie came back out of her office and informed her that visiting hours were over. Bobby had drifted in and out of consciousness during these hours, but he never let go of her hand.

She didn't really know what to think about this, Kitty realized as she left the hospital wing and headed down to dinner. She missed him, yes, but was it a good idea to let him hold her hand when she was so clearly not over him?

All of these thoughts went right out the window, however, as she drew closer to the Great Hall. John was leaving it, all alone, and suddenly all Kitty could think of was the fury she felt towards him. Before the Ravenclaw girl could process what she was doing, Kitty had drawn her wand and marched across to him. She fired off her specialty jinx, a Stinging Hex, without even thinking about it.

"What the _hell_, Pryde?" John demanded as tiny welts bubbled up across his skin.

"You could have killed him!" Kitty screamed. "I know you hate him but what on earth were you thinking?"

"What do you care?" John demanded. "I thought the two of you ended your little love affair."

"That's not the point!"

The doors of the Great Hall opened and Professor Grey came sweeping out. "What is going on out here?" She looked at John and then at Kitty. "Did you do this, Miss Pryde?" Kitty bobbed her head, her chest still heaving with anger.

Professor Grey pinched the bridge of her nose. "Go to the hospital wing, Mr. Allerdyce. As for you, Miss Pryde, twenty points from Ravenclaw and detention with me for the next three Saturdays. I expect better from you, Kitty," she added in a disappointed tone.

Kitty took all this in. She knew she ought to have been upset about getting detention, but she really wasn't. She didn't think she had done anything that John didn't have coming to him.

She didn't know what to do about her Bobby situation. Staying away obviously hadn't helped if she still felt so strongly about him. All that had done was make everyone miserable.

And she missed him…

Kitty sank down at the Ravenclaw table, alone and more confused than ever.


	16. Chapter 16

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby took a deep breath as he stood on Kitty's porch preparing to knock.

He hoped she wasn't going to be too angry to see him. He hoped she would finally, finally let him have a chance to explain about what happened the night of the ball six months ago.

He had a lot riding on today, really.

She had slowly been warming up to him again in more recent months. First that day in the corridor with his brother and then after the Quidditch match when he had ended up in the hospital wing. There had been progress, anyway.

When the summer holidays had started, he had sent her an owl. Bobby hadn't written about anything in particular in fear that she would ignore him. Thankfully, Kitty _had_ returned his owl with a general letter of her own.

The string of letters had gone back and forth for weeks until Bobby had finally asked if he could come see her. He was tired of not really talking to her; tired of having this _distance _between them. And what he wanted to say had to be said in person.

But Kitty had told him no. She didn't want to see him yet. Bobby had to admit that that stung a little bit. The blond boy had spent the last two nights tossing and turning and he simply couldn't take it anymore. He _had_ to see her. He _had _to explain. He didn't want to live like this any longer. And, providing that Kitty actually let him talk, they could take things from there.

The blond boy took a deep breath before knocking on the door._'Please let this work,' _he thought as he waited for someone to answer.

The door opened almost immediately. Kitty stared at him for a long moment. "What are you doing here, Bobby?" she asked in a tired voice after a minute. "I told you I didn't want to see you."

Not exactly the welcome he had hoped for, but at least she hadn't slammed the door in his face. "I know," Bobby started, "but —"

"I hope you don't think you're being romantic or something by showing up at my house when I said I didn't want to see you." She folded her arms over her chest.

"I _don't _think it's romantic," Bobby said, "but I had to see you. I couldn't go the rest of the summer leaving things the way they were. So please, Kitty. Just let me say what I came to say and after that if you still don't want to talk to me I promise I won't bother you again."

Kitty stared at him for another long moment before stepping back from the door so he had room to enter. He closed the door and followed after her as she led him into the living room.

Bobby had never been in a Muggle house before. He looked around curiously as Kitty settled in on the couch. Bobby hesitated over whether to sit with her or in the armchair opposite the couch. He noticed that she had definitely left room for him, so he decided to go for it. The blond boy plopped down beside her and tried to think of where to start. As he waited for the words to come to him, he noticed that Kitty looked exhausted. He wondered if she had had a few sleepless nights herself.

"Well?" Kitty demanded. "What's so important that you had to disregard what I said and come tell me anyway?"

Bobby winced at her tone. When Kitty saw this, her features softened. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I shouldn't have said it like that. What is it that you need to tell me?" she asked in a much gentler voice.

"The night of the Yule Ball," Bobby started, "I was going to tell you how I felt. How I still feel, actually."

She stared at him blankly. He continued, "All night I was so nervous trying to think of how I was going to tell you. I knew it had to be just right or I was going to ruin everything between us. We had such a nice night. I decided I was going to tell you in front of the Tower. But before I could, you kissed me.

"And I was so shocked by that. It was the last thing I ever expected you to do. Before I knew how to react you had already left."

The younger girl looked as if she couldn't believe what she were hearing. "So you're telling me this whole time — _this whole time _— you've had feelings for me?" she demanded.

"Well, yes," Bobby said, sheepish now.

"Unbelievable," Kitty muttered, glancing down at the floor. When she raised her gaze again to meet his, she looked angry. "Why didn't you just _tell_ me?"

"I tried," the blond boy began, "but —"

"Don't," Kitty warned him, "don't. Do you know what that night did to me? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to put myself out there like that? Do you? And for you to just stand there like that… My best friend in the world _rejected _me. I got my hopes up over you, Bobby Drake. And they all just came crashing down on me." Kitty looked down at the floor again. Bobby saw her wipe her face with a shaking hand.

The sight made Bobby's chest ache. "The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you," he murmured, reaching for her free hand. To his surprise, Kitty didn't pull away from him.

After a few minutes she looked up to meet his gaze again. "You like me," she said.

"Yes," Bobby replied. "But I…I understand if you don't still feel that way about me." He thought of that day he'd landed in the hospital wing last spring. Kitty had told him Peter wasn't her boyfriend, but he didn't know if that had changed or not.

"That's not it at all," Kitty said quietly. "No matter what I did I couldn't get you of my head. Which sucked at times, to be honest."

He nodded. "It was the same way for me," he told her. "So, um…"

Kitty looked at him shyly. She reminded him of that first year girl he had met all those years ago. The brunette gave his hand a squeeze. "It's okay," she murmured, "if you want to kiss me."

That was really all the invitation he needed. Bobby leaned in to do as she'd asked. Her eyes were already closed in anticipation. The kiss was a sweet, innocent one that admittedly left him wanting more. But the last thing Bobby wanted was to push her too fast.

He broke away, resting his forehead against hers. Kitty gave a soft laugh that sounded more like a giggle. As he pulled back, Bobby saw that her cheeks were brilliantly pink and he smiled down at her. "That was nice," Kitty commented, "much better than the last one."

"Yeah, it was," the blond boy agreed. Kitty returned his smile, which made him feel confident that a second kiss would not be out of line. So he kissed her again, this time cradling her face in his hands as he did so. Kitty seemed to like this approach because she pressed herself closer to him.

When this kiss ended, her face was pinker than ever. "As nice as that was, I think I need to take things slower. At least for now. I just —"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Bobby interrupted. "Slow is fine."

Kitty leaned back against the couch cushions and twined her fingers through his. "Thank you for understanding." He nodded, although he didn't have think she had to thank him at all.

As the afternoon wore on, Kitty slowly but surely caught him up on everything that had happened with her over the past six months. Bobby did the same, but he didn't have nearly as much to tell.

It seemed all too quickly for Bobby's liking that the clock in gloving room struck four in the afternoon. "My parents will be home soon," Kitty murmured, "and I don't think they're ready to come home to find me with a boy."

"Mine will probably be missing me soon too," Bobby admitted. There was a discussion he wasn't ready to have: how to break it to his snobby parents that his new girlfriend was a Muggleborn.

"Guess we'd better get you home then," Kitty said as she took her hand back. She got to her feet and led him back through her house to the front door.

They stood there almost awkwardly for a moment until Bobby finally managed to get something out. "I'll see you on the train."

Kitty nodded and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him good-bye. This was a brief little kiss, more like a peck, really. But it had enough of an effect on Bobby to leave him in a bit of a daze. "I'll send you an owl," he promised.

"That's better," Kitty teased with a grin. "Good-bye, Bobby."

"Bye," he breathed as Kitty opened the door for him.

Bobby was so wrapped up in this afternoon and everything that had happened that he really wasn't sure how he made it down the steps to the street. He checked for Muggles before flagging down to Knight Bus.

He paid his fare and chose a seat, already constructing a letter in his mind.

_"Dear Kitty…"_


	17. Chapter 17

**Must Be Magic**

Being Bobby's girlfriend really didn't take that much to get used to.

If she was going to be honest, it was something Kitty had daydreamed about for years. She had a vivid picture in her mind of what it might be like to walk through the halls hand in hand with him. That part was pretty much how she had imagined.

What Kitty hadn't counted on was that people appeared to be jealous of her. Bobby of course was a fairly popular, well liked boy among Hogwarts students. It was also hard to miss the fact that he was a very handsome boy as well. And it wasn't just those shallow things that made Bobby such a catch. The Gryffindor had a reputation of being friendly and sweet. All of these things added up into one very attractive package.

One that was no longer on the market. Bobby made no secret of the fact that he was very much taken. He took any chance he got to hold her hand or give her a brief kiss. Those first few days back at school, he had kept popping up in the corridors in the five minutes between the end of one lesson and the start of the next to walk with her. He always threaded his fingers through hers as they walked and outside of each classroom door Bobby paused to give her a brief kiss.

Clarice said she found this suffocating, but Kitty thought it was sweet. She knew how hard Bobby was trying to make her happy after everything that had happened between them last year and Kitty truly appreciated the effort. And truth be told, she _was_ a lot happier now.

A very small, petty part of her also kind of liked how some of the other girls looked at her with wistful expressions on their faces whenever she was with Bobby. And knowing he only had eyes for her… It was kind of nice. Not that she ever did anything to rub it in anyone's face. Kitty wasn't that kind of girl. More than anything she was flattered by the way Bobby seemed to want to show her off.

It was the morning of the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Kitty was standing with Clarice just outside of the Great Hall waiting for the boys to finish breakfast. Clarice was trying to press for details about the night before when Kitty had had prefect duties with Bobby, but so far Kitty had managed to evade her friend's questions.

"I'm telling you it wasn't that interesting," Kitty repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Oh please," Clarice replied, "when you came back to the common room last night your hair was mussed, your tie was loosened, and your face was pink. You were up to something."

Kitty flushed again at the memory of what had _really _happened in that deserted corridor last night. But Clarice didn't really need to know those details. As much as the other girl was comfortable with sharing about her own life, Kitty just wasn't like that. Some things needed to be private.

"_You_ have come back to the common room with half the buttons on your blouse buttoned wrong," Kitty retorted.

"But _I _always tell _you _how it happened," the older girl pointed out.

The brunette grinned at her friend, "But I've never asked. You always just blurt it out to me before I can tell you to stop."

Clarice folded her arms over her chest. "Be that way. See if I ever tell you anything ever again."

"You know you will," Kitty teased. She stuck her tongue out at her fellow Ravenclaw. "The boys are here," she added after a moment, nudging Clarice's arm.

The boys were indeed here. James and Bobby approached them, already dressed for the cold weather that had come so early this year. James was wearing his usual arrogant smile, but Bobby looked distant. As he got closer, Kitty noticed that there was a roll of parchment in his hand. Bobby shoved this into the pocket of his cloak as they drew level with the girls. He offered Kitty a smile.

"Good morning."

"Hey, you," Kitty replied. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a brief kiss. When they pulled apart, Bobby's smile looked much more genuine than it had before.

Bobby wove his fingers through hers and gave her a gentle tug towards the queue. James and Clarice followed suit. Kitty chatted with Clarice and James about this and that as the caretaker slowly but surely checked names off the list. Bobby, however, remained silent. Finally they were able to start down the slope to the village.

Kitty was still wondering what had been on that parchment that Bobby had hidden away. She was sure that was the reason he was being so quiet today, so unlike himself.

The brunette girl didn't want to pry, but at the same time she also wanted him to feel like he could talk to her about whatever was bothering him. She offered his hand a squeeze, which he returned. Kitty took this to mean that he was okay. Maybe not perfect, but okay.

Clarice looked hopefully at some of the boutiques further down on the High Street, but the others all shook their heads. She pouted for a moment before Bobby quietly suggested Honeydukes. That plan was more agreeable to the rest of the group.

Kitty couldn't help being concerned over Bobby as they browsed through the various types of candy. He was still being so quiet. He cracked a smile that didn't reach his eyes when Kitty jokingly suggested that he buy Cockroach Cluster. Whatever was on his mind, it was weighing on him very heavily.

Kitty chose a box of the toffees her parents liked along with her usual Chocolate Frogs. Bobby seemed to cheer up slightly when Kitty handed several of the Chocolate Frogs to him. "Thanks, Kitty," Bobby murmured. He held the door for her. The Ravenclaw girl stepped outside, waving at Clarice and James, who had finished their candy shopping much earlier than Kitty and Bobby had.

"I think our next stop is the Three Broomsticks," James declared. "It's cold out and I need a butterbeer."

"Sounds good to me," Kitty agreed, glancing up at Bobby. He nodded, as did Clarice. The group made their way back through the village to the Three Broomsticks.

As usual, it was packed. "You should find us a table. I'll get the drinks," Bobby said.

"Thanks," James replied, grinning.

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "_You_ can buy your own." He turned on his heel and made his way towards the bar to order. Grumbling, James followed after him.

Clarice giggled as she hooked her arm through Kitty's. The pair of girls scanned the room for a free table. "There's one," the brunette said after a moment. Kitty picked a path through the throng of Hogwarts students towards the booth, Clarice at her heels.

After shedding cloaks and scarves, the duo made themselves comfortable on opposite sides of the table. Kitty glanced back over at the bar. A slight frown creased her face.

"What's wrong?" her companion asked.

"There's something off with Bobby," Kitty answered. "He had a letter in his hand this morning when they came out from breakfast. Something in it must have upset him."

The violet haired girl considered this. "You could just ask him about it, you know," Clarice pointed out.

"I know," the younger girl sighed. "I _will_."

The boys returned a few minutes later. Each of them slid into the booth beside their respective girlfriend. Bobby offered Kitty a foaming tankard of butterbeer, which she gratefully accepted. Kitty took a long sip and felt the drink's warmth seep through her.

"Thank you, Bobby," she murmured. The blond boy nodded. He put his arm around Kitty's shoulders and drew her closer to him. She snuggled into his side and Bobby pressed a kiss to her temple.

Across the booth, James made a face. "You two are so gross," he commented.

Clarice promptly elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. "Leave them alone, James," she chided him. "They're cute."

He didn't look as if he agreed but no one ever really took James seriously. Kitty stayed tucked against Bobby for another few moments before drawing away slightly. She tilted her head back to look at him better. The blond boy turned to meet her gaze. Bobby looked down at her with such genuine affection that Kitty almost felt bad for what she was about to ask.

"What's been bothering you today?" she asked quietly.

Bobby gave her a grim smile. "I can never hide anything from you, Kit," he said. The Gryffindor boy withdrew his arm from Kitty's shoulders and reached into his cloak pocket. "You know how I'm coming of age in December?" Kitty nodded. Bobby handed over the letter. "My parents are throwing me a party."

Kitty studied the letter. The first thing she noticed was that it was written on thick, fancy parchment, much more expensive than the kind she used for school. She also noted that the letter referred to Bobby by his given name instead of his nickname. Kitty's brown eyes widened in surprise as she neared the end of the message.

"They want you to invite me," she murmured, looking up at him.

"Which is exactly what's been bothering me," Bobby replied.

The Ravenclaw girl frowned. "So you don't want me to come to your party."

"I don't even _want_ a party, let alone for you to go to it."

Well _that_ certainly stung. Kitty pulled out of his grip. She knew she shouldn't be saying what she was about to say in front of Clarice and James, but she couldn't stop herself. "Are you embarrassed of me or something?"

"What? No, no, of _course_ not." The blond boy reached out to take her hand. "I'm embarrassed of _them_, Kit, not you. You've met my brother; my parents are worse. And I don't trust their intentions at all."

Appeased by this, Kitty moved closer to him again. "Maybe they're trying," she suggested.

James, who had been watching all of this unfold in silence with Clarice, suddenly laughed. "Oh, Kitty. Sweet, naive Kitty."

"Shut up, James," Kitty and Clarice chorused together.

Bobby looked more amused by this than he had all day. "He's right though," Bobby said after a moment. "There's no way this is innocent. They're up to_something._ I just don't know what."

"I think it sounds fun," Kitty declared. Of course, she had never been to a wizard birthday party before and she was curious to see what traditions differed from Muggle ones. And obviously coming of age was a big deal and she wanted to be there for Bobby.

The Gryffindor boy heaved a sigh. "I'll let them know then. I guess. If you're sure that's what you want…"

"It is." She gave Bobby's hand a squeeze. He squeezed back, a tiny smile gracing his lips.

Across the table, Clarice's face lit up. "Kitty," she began, "you know what that means, right?"

"No…" Kitty answered slowly, though she had a good hunch as to what her best friend was about to say next. Few things excited Clarice as much as a chance to go shopping.

"We need dress robes," the other girl stated in a way that said it should have been obvious.

The brunette shook her head. "I have dress robes. The blue ones."

"You need new ones," Clarice insisted. "And I happen to know that Gladrags is having a sale…"

Kitty knew she wasn't going to get any peace until Clarice had her way. "Fine," she said, "I will_look_ at some dress robes. No promises."

"That's good enough for me," Clarice all but sang. Kitty sucked down the rest of her butterbeer before Clarice could get too impatient.

Bobby and James got to their feet so the girls could get out of the booth. "Well, what should we do while the girls go shopping?" James asked Bobby. "We haven't been to Zonko's yet…"

The blond boy shrugged. "Sounds as good as anything else, I guess," he said. He extended his hand to Kitty, who took it. She allowed Bobby to haul her to her feet.

Clarice had already somehow woven her way through the pub. James wasn't far behind her. Kitty, however, lingered.

"I think a party sounds like fun," the Ravenclaw told him again. "You're only going to come of age once, right?"

"Do you ever get tired of being right about everything?" Bobby asked with a grin.

She shook her head. "Nope."

He shook his head, laughing. "Well, I hope you're right about the party being fun. And I'm glad that even if I have to sit through a party, at least I'll get to spend my birthday with you."

Kitty returned his grin before pulling him down for a kiss, one that was far from the usual brief peck she usually allowed him in public. She melted against him, pressing herself closer.

"Kitty!" Clarice yelled from her place next to the door. "Come on! You can kiss Bobby_after _we shop!"

The couple sprang apart. Kitty was kind of pleased that Bobby was breathing rather heavily than normal and his face was flushed.

"Her Majesty awaits," Kitty muttered dryly.

"And we don't want to keep her waiting any longer," Bobby murmured. He smiled again. "Go. I'll see you later."

"Okay." The brunette gathered up her winter wear and bundled herself into it once more. She made her way through the pub to where Clarice and James were waiting, Bobby at her heels.

Clarice instantly hooked her arm through Kitty's, already gabbing away about colors and fabrics she wanted to look at for dress robes. Kitty kept up as best she could, though she really wasn't nearly as picky as Clarice. And truth be told, her mind was still on Bobby.

She hated that he was being so cynical over the party and his parents. Kitty had rarely seen him this way. She was excited for the party and to see where Bobby had grown up. And she was certain that Bobby's parents were actually making an effort…

So she would just have to wait and prove him wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby had kind of hoped tonight would never come.

Like Kitty had said, he was only going to come of age once. And coming of age was a big deal; it was something that most people looked forward to.

However, most people weren't in his situation. Most people weren't from old wizard families that still looked down on Muggleborns. And those who were tended to not have Muggleborn girlfriends.

To tell the truth, Bobby hadn't felt close to his family in many years. They had very little in common and he knew that sitting through this event was going to be a chore. His mother hadn't consulted him about anything for the party and looking around at it all, none of it suited his tastes in the slightest.

And Bobby still didn't trust his family's motives. He could handle one evening of torture with Kitty and their friends at his side, but Bobby was sure that his family was going to do something to Kitty. Bobby didn't put much stock in Divination, but he had the unshakable feeling the party was going to be a disaster. He hated the thought. And Kitty was looking forward to tonight…

"Hey, happy birthday."

James's sudden intrusion broke Bobby out of his thoughts. Bobby scowled at his friend.

"One, it's not my birthday. Two, you saw me a few hours ago."

That was another of his mother's brilliant ideas. She had thrown the party the night_b__efore _his birthday with the idea that when the clock struck midnight he would give a speech to his parents and their snobby friends.

"It's _expected_," she had insisted when she'd explained this idea to him.

She had been that way as long as he could remember, really. Always more concerned about manners and what was considered "proper" and about her family's reputation than she was about what Bobby wanted. And he knew that his mother had never approved of him being in Gryffindor or of the fact that he wanted to be an Auror. He wondered sometimes if his parents had wanted accessories rather than children. It certainly seemed that way.

"Lighten up," James scoffed. "It's a party, not a funeral. Just concentrate on Kitty and avoid your parents and you'll be fine."

That was exactly Bobby's plan. "I know," he sighed. "I just don't want to be here at all."

"You might not feel that way when you see Kitty," Clarice called down to them from the second storey. She saw standing in front of the room Kitty was staying in with her arms folded across her chest and a grin on her face. She looked extremely proud of herself.

Clarice came down the staircase in a hurry, pausing only to give James a hello kiss. Bobby noted that for once the younger girl wasn't sporting her signature violet. Instead she was dressed in green tonight.

"Where's Kitty?" Bobby asked. He couldn't imagine why she wouldn't have come down with Clarice.

The Ravenclaw have him a grin, "I wanted to make sure you would get the full effect."

As if on cue, the guest room door opened and Kitty appeared at the top of the staircase. Bobby understood what Clarice meant now.

Kitty's dress robes were a deep plum color. As she slowly descended the steps, Bobby could see that there were tiny flecks of silver woven into the fabric, which gave the appearance that the dress robes were twinkling.

Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Several thin streaks of purple were scattered throughout her hair. Bobby was sure that this was Clarice's doing, but he had to admit that she had done a good job.

She was close enough now that Bobby could see she was wearing only the barest hint of makeup, just a bit of gloss on her lips and mascara on her eyelashes. She was still very recognizably his Kitty.

The Ravenclaw girl looked at him shyly. "It's not too much, is it?" she asked. Bobby could hear a note of nervousness in her voice.

"No, not at all," Bobby assured her. "You're beautiful."

Kitty tried to duck her head as she often did when he complimented her, but Bobby was too quick. He reached out to grasp her chin so she wouldn't be able to hide from him.

"Please don't. You're beautiful and I want to show you off to everyone here tonight."

Her face was still pink. "Thank you, Bobby," the brunette murmured. He nodded as Kitty looked him over. "You should wear black more often," she suggested, sounding shy. "It suits you."

Bobby grinned at that and offered her his arm. He led her into the ballroom, where the rest of his mother's guests had already congregated.

He watched her take it all in. If there was one thing his mother knew how to do, it was how to throw a party. As over the top as Bobby found all of this to be, he did have to admit that there _was_ a certain elegance to it all.

Bobby recognized all of the partygoers. They were all friends of his parents and their children, most of whom he went to school with. He caught John Allerdyce's eye and glared. The other boy smirked.

Kitty tugged on his arm gently. "I haven't met your mother yet," she said quietly. "I should thank her for having me."

The blond boy wondered for a moment whether Kitty should have been a Gryffindor. Anyone who_wanted_ to meet his mother was certainly braver than he was.

But Bobby didn't tell any of this to Kitty. Instead, he looked around the crowded ballroom until he spotted his mother standing alone. Even at a distance he recognized that haughty expression on her features. If Bobby had to guess, she was probably congratulating herself on her excellent taste or something along those lines.

His mother was dressed in a set of satin dress robes that were a rather prissy shade of pink for someone her age. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"There you are, darling," she crooned, swooping in to peck his cheek. "I wondered where you'd been hiding." This statement probably sounded innocent enough to anyone else, but Bobby heard the real meaning in her words. _"You're being so rude."_

"I wasn't hiding," Bobby said patiently. He felt Kitty tuck herself against his side and remembered the reason he had sought her out in the first place. "This is Kitty."

"It's so nice to meet you, Madeline," Kitty began. She shifted away from him and held out her hand for his mother to take. "You have such a beautiful home. Thank you for having me —"

His mother interrupted. "Call me Mrs. Drake, please."

Kitty's face flushed. "Of course, I'm so sorry."

She nodded, though she didn't look as if she truly accepted this apology. "You're important to Robert," his mother continued, "so I suppose we had to invite you." Her icy gaze scanned the room. "Ah, Raven and Marie are here. Excuse me." She brushed past the pair of them without another word.

Bobby saw Kitty blink. She tilted her head up towards him. "I was too casual, wasn't I?" she asked, her voice sad. The hurt, confused look spreading across her face made Bobby's chest ache.

He knew his girl well enough to know that Kitty was unnecessarily hard on herself. And the last thing Bobby wanted was for her to dwell on the conversation with his mother for the rest of the night.

The blond boy shifted slightly to face her better, taking both of her hands in his. "Kitty," he said quietly, locking his gaze on hers, "I promise that _you_ are not the problem. She is."

Finally, Kitty bobbed her head. She offered him a small smile. Encouraged by this, Bobby pulled her towards him gently by the hand and raised it to his lips. He brushed a kiss against her knuckles. The smile on Kitty's face grew and Bobby knew he had done his job.

Despite it being Bobby's birthday party, no one seemed too interested in talking to him outside of Kitty, James, and Clarice. This suited Bobby perfectly fine. It was bad enough that his family members kept shooting him looks of disdain because he wasn't mingling with his guests. As if he would have chosen any of them to celebrate his birthday with outside of his friends.

Dinner was announced. Bobby took hold of Kitty's hand once more and led her into the dining room. As he had feared, there were place cards laid out along the dining room table. Kitty found her place next to Clarice. Bobby ignored the card at the seat on Kitty's other side and sat down next to his girlfriend. At the head of the table, his mother narrowed her eyes.

It didn't surprise him that she had been so incredibly insensitive as to not seat his girlfriend next to him at dinner. What bothered Bobby was that she had clearly gone out of her way to do it. For her to judge Kitty so harshly before ever even giving her a chance just because of her blood status…it made Bobby sick. He was used to hearing his family's opinions on both Muggles and Muggleborns, but it still made his blood boil.

They hadn't even _tried_ to give her a chance. She was easily the most important person in his life and they hadn't even_tried_. And all because her parents happened to be Muggles, as if that really mattered at all in the long run. And it wasn't like her heritage made Kitty less of an amazing witch. She wasn't the top of her year for nothing.

Bobby noticed a number of guests shooting nasty looks at Kitty throughout dinner. Every time, he stared back until the other person got the hint. The blond boy was struggling not to get up and announce to everyone present that if they had a problem with Kitty they could all just leave. It wouldn't bother him in the slightest to be rid of it them all.

His hand found its way to her knee under the table. He saw a grin light her face and a moment later her own hand had crept down towards his. She placed her hand on top of his, curling their fingers together.

They stayed like that for the rest of dinner until it was announced that the party would be returning to the ballroom. Bobby could already hear that the band had begun to play. "Dance with me?" he asked.

"I'd love to," Kitty replied.

Bobby led her into the crowd, noticing that his mother was observing them with a clearly displeased expression. He had to admit that this made him the tiniest bit smug. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to constantly be in conflict with his family, but after she had been so rude to Kitty, Bobby was done trying to keep the peace.

Kitty was quiet as they danced, her head resting against his chest. He hoped she wasn't still thinking about how his mother had snubbed her. Bobby leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"What's on your mind?"

To his great surprise, she looked up at him with a smile. "Believe it or not, the Yule Ball."

This answer was the last thing Bobby had expected to hear come out of her mouth. "The Yule Ball," he repeated.

"Yes," Kitty said, still grinning. "It's just funny how different everything is almost a year later. Everything changed."

She was right, of course. "It's better now," he agreed. "Though this time I promise to give you your goodnight kiss."

"Mmm, and if I don't want to wait?" she asked, tilting her head back so she could see him better.

"I've learned my lesson about making you wait," Bobby replied. His hands strayed to her hips so he could pull her closer. He ducked his head to press his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and sweet at first, but after a moment he felt Kitty smiling against him. Her arms hooked around his neck.

Kitty looked awfully pleased with herself when they broke apart. Bobby rested his forehead against hers, just as happy as the brunette. Maybe the party could still be salvaged.

They were joined by their friends after awhile. Bobby tried not to think about where those two might have been before their reappearance. But he was glad for their presence all the same. He, James, and Clarice had seemed to have settled into an unspoken agreement to keep Kitty from experiencing any more unpleasantness.

The four of them were having a pretty good time together as they always did. Every now and then he would feel his mother's cold gaze settle on them, but every time this happened he merely concentrated on Kitty instead. It worked well. Bobby was glad to see she wasn't still upset about meeting his mother.

"I'm hot," Kitty told him after several dances. Bobby nodded. He was more than happy to sit the next few songs out. He kept a tight hold on Kitty's hand and together they fought their way through the crowd.

They made it to one of the overstuffed green velvet couches that lined the walls of the ballroom. It was really more of a loveseat, just big enough for the two of them. Kitty slipped out of her shoes and carefully tucked her feet under her. She leaned against him heavily. Bobby wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. He kissed the top of her head.

It was nice to just hold her for awhile. They'd had a busy day today, with the train ride and getting ready for the party. Clarice had insisted he not be allowed anywhere near the room Kitty was staying in so he'd be surprised and he had missed her more than he'd realized.

Bobby absently traced his fingers over one of the purple streaks in her hair. Kitty's gaze flickered up to meet his. "I know it's not my normal style," she began, "it was Clarice's idea."

"No, I like it. It's different. I think she knew exactly what she was doing."

Kitty smiled before untangling herself from his arms. "I'm still hot. I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"Whatever you're getting for yourself is fine," Bobby answered. The Ravenclaw girl nodded and pecked his cheek. She slipped back into her shoes and started to make her way back through the crowd toward the long table full of drinks and snacks on the other end of the room.

Kitty had just disappeared into the sea of partygoers when his mother appeared in front of him. She wasn't alone, however. With her was a Hufflepuff girl from Bobby's year, Marie D'Ancanto. Marie looked absolutely miserable to have been dragged along.

"Darling," his mother said in the voice that he recognized as her scheming tone, "you know Marie from school, don't you?"

Bobby had known Marie his whole life because their mothers were in the same social circle, but he didn't point that out. "Yes, I know Marie," he said in a clipped, pointed tone. He was sure now what his mother was up to.

"Raven and I thought it might be fun if you escorted Marie on the next Hogsmeade weekend."

Bobby flashed the Hufflepuff girl a quick smile, "Excuse us for a moment, Marie." She wrestled her wrist away from Madeline's grip and escaped back into the crowd, shooting him a grateful look over her shoulder as she left.

The blond boy got to his feet with a scowl. He turned so his back was to the rest of he crowd and stepped in very close to her."_Unbelievable_," he hissed. "What do you think you're doing? You do realize that my girlfriend is at this party, right?"

His mother looked unconcerned with this fact. "I was _trying_ to find you a more suitable girlfriend, Robert. You should be grateful," she answered.

"So let me get this straight. You tell me to invite my girlfriend to this stupid party that I didn't even want and then you try to play matchmaker during the middle of it? That was your plan?"

Bobby had been on the receiving end of the patented Madeline Drake glare many times, so it didn't faze him now. "Of course it was my plan, darling. You're of age now and it's time you started thinking about your future. You need to give up that ridiculous dream you have of being an Auror, and you need to find the right woman to have at your side."

By this point, Bobby was fuming. It was taking all of his self control to keep his magic in check. "It never occurred to you that maybe I already found her?" he demanded.

She laughed. "You can't possibly be serious," she said once her laughter had subsided. "You think that _she's_ the right girl?"

"I do, as a matter of fact," Bobby shot back. "If you had given her a chance, you might have been able to see how great she is." He paused for a moment before adding, "She makes me happy."

"She doesn't belong here, Bobby, and she certainly doesn't belong with _you_."

The sound of shattering glass filled the air. Bobby turned on his heel to see Kitty standing behind him, now surrounded by a puddle of pumpkin juice and shards of crystal. She was looking at the floor. Bobby was sure she was blinking back tears.

Before he could do anything else, Kitty was pushing her way back through the crowd. Most of the other guests were staring at her rudely yet again. The Gryffindor boy caught a glimpse of Clarice's violet hair bobbing through the partygoers. James wasn't far behind her. That made him feel better, at least. Clarice would make sure Kitty was okay while he dealt with his mother.

The older woman was now frowning at the mess on the ballroom floor. "My best goblets," she muttered, "ruined by that — that —"

"Do not finish that sentence," Bobby threatened. "Did you have to do that to her?"

"Do what?" his mother asked as she took her wand from the inside pocket of her dress robes. She pointed it at the piles of crystal glittering on the floor. "Reparo."

"Did you have to embarrass her like that in front of everyone?"

Madeline was now occupying herself with Vanishing the spilled pumpkin juice. "Oh, that," she said breezily. "Yes, I did. And she certainly proved my point, didn't she? She has no business being here."

Bobby couldn't hold himself back anymore. The newly repaired goblets shattered again. His mother looked at him, scandalized. "Bobby —" she began, but he had already started to walk away.

She followed after him, her hand brushing his shoulder. The blond boy recoiled at her touch, still fuming. "I'm done."

"Done," Madeline echoed, sounding dubious.

Bobby had made his way through the ballroom and into the entrance hall. He made a beeline for the staircase and marched up it. "You heard me," he said.

He was vaguely aware of his father and brother joining his mother at the foot of the stairs. "You're making a scene," Madeline said, fury clearly evident. "And over a —"

"This is nothing," Ronny interrupted. "You should have seen how he carried on pining for her when they weren't speaking. It was atrocious."

The Gryffindor boy had reached the second storey landing. He slammed his bedroom door shut behind him and began pulling off his dress robes. He tore through his dresser drawers, piling more clothes into his trunk. Bobby was just coaxing Elsa into her cage again when the door creaked open. He turned, expecting to see one of his family members.

Instead he found James. "Kitty is fine," he told Bobby. The other Gryffindor sounded much more serious than he usually did. "Clarice and I took her to my place. My mother is making her tea."

"Thanks," Bobby sighed. He closed his trunk and checked that Elsa's cage was secure. Bobby lifted both his owl and his trunk into his arms and started down the corridor to the guest room that had been Kitty's.

She had left the room just as pristine as she had found it. The only signs that she had been there at all were her trunk at the foot of the bed and Lockheed curled on an armchair in the corner. After scanning the room quickly, Bobby couldn't see anything else that belonged to her. Sighing again, he took a deep breath before scooping Lockheed up from the chair. As was par for the course, he earned himself long red scratches for his trouble. James helpfully held open Lockheed's carrier for him.

Together, the two Gryffindors managed to get both trunks and the two pets downstairs. To Bobby's shock, no one tried to stop them from leaving. It appeared he had gotten through to them at last.

James's house was on the other end of the village. Bobby had always loved coming to the Proudstars' place. It was just as big as the manor house he had grown up in, but much homier somehow. Mr. and Mrs. Proudstar had always treated him like a son and to be perfectly honest he wished he _were_ their son at times.

Mrs. Proudstar met them at the door. "Hello, boys," she greeted them. "Bobby, you know you're always welcome here, and so is Kitty. I made her some tea and she went upstairs to one of the guest rooms. You can have John's room for now."

"Thank you, Mrs. Proudstar," Bobby said sincerely. She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing, before moving aside to let them come in.

Bobby and James carried the luggage up to the second floor and into James's brother's room. "I'll take it from here," he told James. "Thanks for your help."

James nodded and left the room. Bobby heaved another sigh before taking Kitty's trunk and Lockheed's carrier down the hall.

There was only one door that was shut, so he figured that was the room Kitty was in. He set the trunk down so he could knock. "Kitty, it's me," he announced. "I brought your trunk and Lockheed…"

The door opened and Bobby was met with Clarice. He braced himself, certain that Clarice was about to attack him in some way. He knew she had never quite forgiven him for what had happened last year.

However, she didn't say anything. She merely stepped past him into the hall and went on her way.

Kitty was sitting on the bed with her back to the door. Bobby put the trunk down and paused to let Lockheed out of the carrier. The cat shot out in a black streak and sprang onto the bed. He rubbed his head against Kitty's arm until she picked him up. She buried her face in his fur.

Bobby brought her trunk into the room the rest of the way. "Kitty," he began, "you know what she said isn't true, right?" The blond boy took a few steps towards her. When she didn't react, he sank down onto the bed.

The Ravenclaw lifted her head from its hiding spot. Bobby could see now that she had, in fact, been crying. He folded his arms around her. Lockheed made his displeasure known with a loud hiss before worming his way out from where he was sandwiched between Bobby and Kitty. Bobby only used this as an excuse to pull her closer. After a moment, he felt Kitty return his hug.

He tried again. "She doesn't speak for me."

"I know that, Bobby," Kitty mumbled into his chest. She pulled back. "I think I want to be alone for awhile, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. But if you change your mind, I'll be here," he replied. She nodded.

Once back in his room, he wrote a quick owl to Kitty's parents. He explained that there had been a few nasty words exchanged and that Kitty was very upset. He said that Mr. and Mrs. Proudstar had welcomed her to stay and that she would be perfectly safe. And he made sure to apologize about the situation. Bobby knew it wasn't his fault, exactly, but he hated to know that Kitty was hurting.

James wandered back in to ask Bobby if he wanted to join he and Clarice in a game of Exploding Snap. Bobby declined the invitation. "It's been a long day. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"I understand," James said. "See you in the morning."

Bobby got ready for bed. He went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and when he returned, there was a surprise waiting for him.

Kitty was sitting on the bed in her pajamas and a powder blue dressing gown. Her hair was down, the purple streaks gone. Her makeup had been removed as well. "I changed my mind," Kitty said in a small voice.

"I'm glad." Bobby crossed the room to the other side of the bed and pulled the blankets down. Kitty mimicked his actions. She hung her bathrobe on the post before sliding into bed with him.

The blond boy felt nervous all of a sudden as they leaned back against the pillows. He had never shared a bed with a girl before and while he knew they were far from ready to take that step, he didn't quite know what to expect.

It didn't help when Kitty apparently decided that now would be a good time to kiss him. It was just a chaste kiss, nothing that would give him the wrong idea, but a kiss all the same.

Bobby wanted so badly to tell her what he truly felt. He had known for weeks now, ever since that Hogsmeade visit. But he knew he couldn't drop that bomb on Kitty tonight. Not after everything else.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He knew it was a dumb question, really, but he felt he had to ask it anyway.

"I don't know," she answered. "I was hoping you were wrong, somehow. I wanted them to at least give me a_chance_."

Bobby pulled her into another hug. "I wanted that, too. I hoped for the best but expected the worst," he said as he released her.

"How very Muggle of you," Kitty remarked dryly.

He laughed. "Isn't it?"

Kitty didn't laugh with him. Bobby heaved another sigh. "I just want you to know, Kit, that you have me for as long as you want me. I don't care what they think. I pick you."

"Bobby…"

"It's true," he protested. "I pick you. And I would pick you over them every time."

"I pick you, too," Kitty told him. Her hand found his and squeezed.

Bobby couldn't deny just how much hearing those words warmed him. He angled his head down towards hers to give her another kiss.

"It's late," Kitty said when they parted. "I'm tired."

He nodded. "I know. It was a long day." He leaned over to pick up his wand from the nightstand. With one wave of it, all the candles were extinguished.

They settled down into bed. Bobby felt that same wave of nervousness wash over him when Kitty scooted over to him and rested her head on his chest.

"Is this okay?" she asked in a whisper.

Bobby wanted her to feel like he was there for her. At the moment, no request seemed to small. "Yeah," the blond boy whispered back. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arm down her back and over her waist. He could just make out Kitty's smile in the darkness.

She fell asleep first, her breaths deep and even. As he drifted off himself, Bobby had never been more certain that he loved her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Must Be Magic**

When Kitty woke, she was confused for a moment about where she was. It didn't help that there was an arm wrapped around her and the sound of a heartbeat under her ear.

Luckily, it came to her before she panicked too much. _Bobby_.

Everything about the previous evening came flooding back to her. They'd had such a nice evening overall until Kitty had overheard Mrs. Drake's nasty comment. Bobby had told her many times over the years just how snobby his family was, but when they had invited her to the party…well, she had hoped it had meant they were going to make an effort to get to know her.

But that hadn't been the case at all. To be told that his family didn't approve of her and probably never would definitely stung.

It wasn't Bobby's fault and she didn't blame him. He _had_ tried to warn her. But Mrs. Drake's words hurt.

And now Bobby was going to cut off ties with his family. It was a long time coming, sure, but Kitty couldn't help but feel guilty anyway. It was a lot of pressure, really, knowing that he chose her over them. It wasn't that she wouldn't pick him too, if it ever came down to that, but still. She hadn't expected the party to end in a parting of ways.

Kitty carefully removed Bobby's arm from where it was draped over her waist. He didn't stir, which she was grateful for. Let him sleep. She was certain that he was just as emotionally drained as she was.

She lifted her head from his chest and glanced around the room. Her chocolate gaze settled on what she was looking for — a clock. She saw that it was just past six in the morning. Kitty didn't know if the Proudstars were early risers and she didn't want to chance one of them finding her bed empty.

Kitty knew they hadn't done anything inappropriate other than exchange a few goodnight kisses. But after they had so graciously welcomed her into their home, the last thing Kitty wanted was for the Proudstars to get the wrong idea.

The brunette swung her legs out of bed. The house was chilly in the early December morning. Kitty burrowed gratefully into her fuzzy dressing gown and crossed the room to the door. She paused for a moment to watch Bobby, still fast asleep. A fond smile graced her face.

Kitty padded down the hall and into the guest room Mrs. Proudstar had made up for her. Kitty was glad that she had at least _tried_ to go to sleep in that bed and that she had left it unmade. Lockheed was sprawled across the bedspread. He lazily swished his tail. Kitty scratched behind his ears absently.

She opened her trunk and dug out her slippers before exiting again. She made her way carefully downstairs, hoping she wouldn't disturb anyone who might still be sleeping.

The Ravenclaw girl found her way into the kitchen. Kitty was hopeful she might find coffee, which she greatly preferred to tea. She poked around the kitchen quietly in her search. She was about to give up on coffee when someone spoke.

"I thought I heard someone up and about," Mrs. Proudstar greeted. Kitty jumped; she hadn't expected anyone to be up so early.

To her credit, she immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to scare you." Mrs. Proudstar approached her with a kind smile on her features. She gave Kitty's shoulder a squeeze. Kitty nodded, feeling shy.

The older woman was still beaming at her. "Something I can get for you?"

"I was hoping for coffee," Kitty answered.

Mrs. Proudstar continued to smile. She gestured towards the table. "I can do that." Kitty took a seat as Mrs. Proudstar began to busy herself. Kitty watched her closely. The older woman's long dark hair was gathered in a low ponytail. Kitty also noted that she was dressed in the lime green robes that the Healers at St. Mungo's wore.

The scent of coffee started to fill the air. "Did you sleep well, Kitty?" Mrs. Proudstar asked.

Kitty thought about this for a moment. She couldn't remember any dreams or tossing and turning. And getting to wake up in Bobby's arms was something she could definitely get used to…

"I slept very well. Thank you for letting me stay, Mrs. Proudstar. I know you weren't expecting to have two extra people over last night."

The older woman turned to look at her. "Please call me Maria," she insisted. "And it's no trouble at all. Any friend of my boys is always welcome here." She smiled again before grabbing the carafe of coffee and two mugs from the cabinet. A collection of creams and sugars followed.

Kitty doctored up her coffee as Mrs. Proudstar sat down opposite her. "I didn't get a chance to speak to you much last night," Maria began. "I wanted to make sure you knew that people like the Drakes are the minority. You belong to this world just as much as they do."

Of course, Kitty had heard all of this the previous evening from her friends. But it was still nice to know that other people were of the opinion that the Drakes were wrong.

"Thank you," the Ravenclaw repeated.

The grin returned to Mrs. Proudstar's face. "You're welcome. And I do have to say it's nice to finally meet you, though I do wish it were under better circumstances. Bobby has been talking about you for_years_ now."

Kitty felt her cheeks turn pink. "He has?"

"Oh yes," Maria confirmed. "James used to tease him about it mercilessly. Still does, actually."

That definitely fit with the James Kitty knew. A smile crossed her face.

"Neal and I have thought of Bobby as our third son for a long time now," Mrs. Proudstar went on. "And I'm glad to know that he found someone who makes him so happy."

"He makes me happy, too," Kitty admitted. Mrs. Proudstar regarded her with a fond look at these words.

"Good to know I'm doing my job then," Bobby said from the doorway. Kitty looked up at him, a blush tinting her cheeks. But the older boy was grinning and Kitty knew he was only teasing.

Mrs. Proudstar got up from the table. "There's the birthday boy," she said warmly. She wrapped him in a brief hug. "I'll be home around five and then we'll have dinner and cake and presents."

Kitty was sure that after last night Bobby didn't want another celebration. She couldn't blame him for that.

"You don't have to do that," Bobby protested.

"Of course I do," Maria replied. "But I promise it will be a much more low key celebration than the party your parents threw." The older woman turned to look at Kitty, "And I hope you know that you are invited to stay. For the rest of your holidays, if you like."

Kitty hadn't been expecting that. Letting her stay one night was one thing but hosting her for the remaining vacation was another entirely. But Bobby shot her a hopeful look over Maria's shoulder and Kitty couldn't help but agree.

"I'd love to," she answered. "I should owl my parents, though," Kitty added after a moment of thought.

Bobby gave her a smile as he came to join her at the table. "I sent Elsa last night," he informed her. "I didn't want them to worry."

"Look at you, being responsible," Kitty teased. Bobby rolled his eyes, but she could tell he was glad to hear her making jokes.

"I have to run," Mrs. Proudstar announced. "Bobby, you know where everything is. Help yourselves. Have a good day!"

Maria hurried down the corridor to the living room. Kitty heard her say, "St. Mungo's!" and knew she had traveled by Floo powder.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Bobby announced. He got up from the table again. "I'm thinking eggs. Sound good?"

She _was_ hungry, but she was also worried about Bobby. Kitty stood as well and crossed to where he now stood at the stove. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing one cheek against his back.

After a moment, Bobby turned around to return her embrace. His arms settled at her waist. He tucked her head under his chin.

Kitty allowed him to hold her for a bit before she pulled away. She tilted her head back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm still so angry at my family," he answered. "I meant it when I said that I was done with them. I can't do it anymore."

The brunette nodded. "I know."

"Don't you dare try to tell me this is your fault, either," the blond boy said. "It's not. The way my mother spoke about you last night was just the final straw." Bobby drew her a little closer to him.

"You did try to warn me…" Kitty pointed out.

"That's not the point. What she said was inexcusable."

"And I agree," the Ravenclaw girl said, "I just never wanted to be the reason you cut ties with your family. That's all."

His hold on her tightened once more. He pulled Kitty closer still and planted a kiss on top of her head. "I know you didn't," Bobby murmured into her hair. She could just barely make out his muffled words.

They lapsed into silence again. Something occurred to Kitty after awhile. "Hey." Bobby moved back just far enough so he could look down at her. "Happy birthday."

He smiled at her, a genuine smile. "Thank you."

"Did you have anything in mind for today?" Kitty asked. Anything to get them off of the rather depressing topic of his family was okay in her book.

The blond boy let out a sigh. "I have to go to Gringotts," he informed her. "My parents can't touch my inheritance, but I wouldn't put it past them to try. I'm going to move everything into a new account."

Kitty made a face. "That doesn't sound like a fun way to spend your birthday," she replied sympathetically.

"It won't be." Bobby brightened after a minute, "Do you want to come with me? After I'm done at the bank I could take you to lunch and we can go to Flourish and Blotts."

She knew he was still trying to make up for last night. "Those sound more like plans for my birthday than for yours," she teased. "You go ahead. I think I'll stay here."

For the briefest moment, Bobby looked disappointed. But he nodded. "I understand. I just thought I would offer."

Kitty wondered if she should change her mind. She felt terrible. It really wasn't fair of her to let him spend his birthday alone, but at the same time she wasn't much in the mood to go out. Especially when she knew that Bobby was only trying to make up for something that wasn't even his fault.

The brunette girl pulled him down for a kiss. "You'll just have to hurry back, won't you?" she asked after they had broken apart.

"Oh, Kit. I always hurry back to you," Bobby assured her. "Always."

XxXxX

"I'm bored."

Kitty was curled up in an armchair in the living room. At James's declaration, she looked up from her Arithmancy textbook. Hearing those words from the Gryffindor boy was never a good sign.

"Thanks," Clarice said dryly. The two of them were sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table playing wizard chess. Well, really it was more James losing spectacularly and Clarice gloating about it.

"Do you really need to beat me for a fourth time to know that you're smarter than I am?" James questioned.

She grinned now. "Nope."

"Exactly. So let's do something else."

Clarice looked to Kitty. "What do you think, Kitty?" The other girl frowned as she realized that Kitty was holding a book. "Oh, no," Clarice said firmly as she got to her feet.

"What?"

"You're not studying for OWLs. Not six months in advance."

Kitty felt herself flush. "I wasn't," she replied. "I was just going to make a list of things I might _need_ to study."

The older girl shook her head. "No. Come on Kitty, it's the holidays. Let's do something fun."

She wanted very badly to tell Clarice that studying _was_ fun, but she knew the other girl wouldn't accept that answer. "Fine," Kitty said as she closed the text. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"I have an idea," James piped up. "I think we should go get back at Mrs. Drake. I was thinking we could do something to her greenhouse…"

"Absolutely not," Kitty said firmly. "No way."

The Gryffindor boy tilted his head to one side. "Aren't you angry at her?" he wanted to know.

"I'm hurt more than anything. But some kind of petty 'revenge' is only going to reinforce her beliefs that Muggleborns are lesser."

"Kitty is right," Clarice put in. "She's too good to play some prank on Bobby's mother." The other girl gave Kitty a warm smile.

James leaned back against the couch. "Okay. It was just a suggestion."

She knew that in his own way, James was trying to look out for her. And even though Kitty felt his idea was misguided, it was kind of sweet that he was upset on her behalf. No matter how annoying he could be at times she knew he'd always be there for her like the big brother she'd never had.

Kitty took a seat on the floor next to him. She bumped him playfully with her shoulder. James did the same in retaliation. "We should play Exploding Snap," Kitty said.

"I have a deck in my trunk," Clarice said. "I'll go get it."

She left and came back so rapidly that Kitty wondered if she had learned how to Apparate. "I'm on a good winning streak today," Clarice boasted. "I hope both of you are ready to go down."

The trio spent an enjoyable afternoon playing several rounds of Exploding Snap. They were about halfway through building a house of cards when the flames in the fireplace flashed emerald and Bobby stepped out.

He flopped facedown onto the couch behind Kitty and James. He looked exhausted and Kitty felt a pang of guilt that she had let him spend his birthday alone. She got to her feet and looked down at him with sympathy. But Bobby only offered her a smile and sat up so she'd have room to join him.

"Long day?" the brunette asked as she plopped down. She pressed herself close, hiding her face in his chest.

Kitty felt his lips brush the top of her head. "Brutal," Bobby answered. "Whose idea was it to let me come of age?" He let out a sigh. Again, Kitty felt like she should have gone with him.

After a few minutes, he didn't seem to be too bothered. "What did you guys get up to today?"

"Nothing," James said quickly. Kitty pulled her face from its hiding spot in time to see Bobby give his best friend a suspicious look.

"We really didn't do anything," Kitty assured the blond boy.

"Kitty was just going to study until we made her put her book away," Clarice added.

At this, Kitty snuggled back into Bobby's arms. "I should have gone with you," she mumbled.

Bobby's fingers began weaving through her hair. "Don't worry about it."

That was one of her favorite things about Bobby, if she was going to be honest. He never tried to rub anything in or make her feel bad. He knew her well enough to know that she was hard on herself without any help.

"I just want to spend the rest of the day with you," Bobby went on.

"I can do that," Kitty agreed. "I can do that."

XxXxX

Christmas Eve found Kitty in the living room surrounded by couples. Mr. and Mrs. Proudstar, James and Clarice, and James's brother John and his girlfriend Talia. Bobby had disappeared into the guest room he'd moved into when John had come home. Kitty wished he hadn't.

Mrs. Proudstar had gone to great lengths to make sure she felt included. Dinner was all kosher and though Kitty didn't celebrate Christmas, obviously, there were a couple of gifts under the tree for her anyway.

"Holiday presents," Maria had assured her. "I'd just _hate_ for you to feel left out."

So Kitty had accepted a beautiful stationary set and a new scarf in Ravenclaw blue and bronze, which was sure to come in handy since her old one was starting to get a little threadbare.

Now she sat curled in the armchair with her hands curved around a mug of warm butterbeer watching everyone else exchange gifts and thank yous. As glad as she was to be included in their holiday, she wished Bobby were with her.

As if reading her mind, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Kitty glanced up to see Bobby smiling hopefully at her. "Take a walk with me?"

Kitty bobbed her head and downed the rest of her drink. She wrapped her new scarf snugly around her neck and followed after Bobby. He pulled her cloak down from the coatrack and offered it to her before slipping into his own.

The Gryffindor boy linked his fingers through hers as they headed out into the village together. The snow crunched under their feet as they walked in silence. Kitty leaned against him as they started up a slope where they'd be able to see the whole town.

Kitty pulled away from him and wandered over to the edge. She had to admit it was beautiful. The snow covered town was all lit up for Christmas. She couldn't help but be enchanted.

After a moment, Kitty noticed that Bobby wasn't enjoying the view. Instead, he was watching her. "Bobby? Is everything okay?"

He smiled. "Yes."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you, Kit," Bobby began. He sounded nervous and all of a sudden he wouldn't make eye contact with her.

Kitty froze, certain of what he was about to say. She didn't make a sound so he could gather his thoughts without interruption.

"I've been wanting to tell you for a couple of months now," Bobby went on. He was meeting her gaze now, eyes locked firmly on hers. "But I didn't want to scare you off, or make it feel like I was rushing you, or —"

"Bobby —"

"And I want you to know that I'm serious. What I'm about to say, I've been thinking about it for a long time and I _know_ that I'm sure…"

"Bobby —"

"I love you, Kitty."

Even though Kitty had been expecting this, she felt her heart start to race. She took a few steps closer to him, words forming on her tongue. But before she could say anything, however, he interrupted again.

"I understand if you don't say it back, or if you don't feel that way yet or at all…"

"Bobby," Kitty said for the third time. That one seemed to get his attention, because he stopped his rambling immediately.

Kitty, confident that she had his full attention now, smiled and stepped closer to him. She took both of her hands in his. "I love you, too."

She hadn't really thought about it until now or ever put it in those words, but it was true. She had no doubts that it was.

"Really?"

"Really," Kitty confirmed, pulling him down for a kiss. She felt him smile against her lips.

"I love you," Bobby repeated when they had parted.

She grinned at him now, "How many times are you going to say that?"

"As many times as I possibly can."

Kitty laughed and gave him another brief kiss. "I promise I believe you."

The snow had started to pick up again. "Take me back to the house?" she asked as she burrowed into his arms again.

He did, holding her hand tightly as they walked back through the village. To Kitty, it looked even more beautiful now than it had the first time, but she was sure that was just because of her current state of euphoria.

Bobby _loved_ her, and she loved him. And she couldn't help but think that was really all she would ever need.


	20. Chapter 20

**Must Be Magic**

Bobby waited in the courtyard for Kitty. He had sent her an owl asking her to meet him at eight, but it was five til and he had yet to see a trace of her. He hoped she wasn't just going to ignore his note. It would be completely out of character for her to just ignore him, but lately…

He was worried about her. It had been in the back of his mind all year that Kitty's OWLs were coming up. And as the exams crept closer, he had seen her slowly start to withdraw. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her without her nose in a book.

The Gryffindor boy didn't want to overstep or anything but he couldn't help but be concerned. Of course he realized the importance of OWLs — they impacted a person's whole future. And since he had taken his during that awful six month period where he and Kitty had been on the outs, Bobby knew just how much a distraction could affect performance.

But on the other hand he knew how Kitty tended to throw herself into her school work. And he also knew exhaustion was bad for testing as well. Bobby was very aware that Kitty was the top of her year and that she wanted to keep that streak alive. And she couldn't do that at the rate she was going.

Eight o'clock now. Bobby let out a sigh. He was just about to call it a night when the castle doors flew open and a tiny figure came marching out.

"Care to explain?" Kitty demanded as she stomped across the courtyard to him. "What could possibly be so important that you wanted me to meet you when you know I should be studying?"

Bobby adopted his best worried boyfriend look. "I just wanted to get you away from the books for awhile," he said innocently.

She looked less than impressed. "And why would you want to do that?" Kitty asked. "OWLs start —"

"In two months," Bobby interrupted. "And you're wearing yourself out, Kit. Of course I'm concerned."

Her features seemed to soften. "I guess you're right," she conceded after a moment of consideration. "Between keeping up with school, studying for OWLs, and prefect duties, I have been stretched a bit thin."

"You have," Bobby agreed quickly. He was grateful she hadn't put up too much of a fight. "I just wanted to get you to relax for awhile."

A tiny smile tugged at her lips. "You're sweet," she mumbled, glancing down at the ground. Kitty looked up again to meet his gaze, "What did you have in mind? I swear if you were going to take me for a ride over the grounds I'm going back inside," she added.

Bobby remembered all too well when he had tried to take her for a broomstick ride over the grounds at the start of the new term. It hadn't gone as he had planned — they had both discovered that Kitty hated flying.

"Do you see a broom?" Bobby retorted. He had scratched that one off of the list of romantic date ideas the second Kitty had started screeching in his ear. As much as he had liked how she had clung to him, he didn't find the shrieking worth it.

"No," Kitty answered. She looked at him curiously now. "So what are we doing?"

The blond boy offered her a winning smile. "Come on." He threaded his fingers through hers as he led her across the grounds.

"You can't possibly think I want to go swimming," the brunette girl said as they approached the lake.

"Stop trying to guess," the Gryffindor chided. He stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes. "I wanted to take you ice skating."

An incredulous look spread over Kitty's face. "Ice skating," she repeated. "But that's a Muggle thing."

"But _you_ like it," Bobby replied. "And I like trying new things." He felt a little uncertain now. Maybe he _should_ just let her go back inside.

The look of incredulity had vanished from the Ravenclaw girl's face and was replaced with the kind of genuine smile he hadn't seen her wear in months. "That sounds like fun," Kitty said. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, still smiling.

Bobby pulled out his wand from the inside of his robes. He murmured a Freezing Charm as he touched the tip of it to the lake's surface. The frost hardened with little crackling sounds.

"We don't have skates," Kitty pointed out.

"Working on it," Bobby replied. He pointed his wand towards her feet and cast the Freezing Charm again, this time moving his wand to mimic the shape of ice skating blades that Kitty had shown him once. "Don't worry, they'll hold," he promised as Kitty bent to examine them.

He repeated the process on the bottoms of his own shoes. They moved awkwardly from the grass onto the now frozen lake.

Kitty took off immediately. It was clear to Bobby that skating was to Kitty what flying was to him. He watched her glide along gracefully for a moment before trying to join her.

He was sure he didn't look nearly as pretty as Kitty did. Having never tried to keep his balance on a thin blade before, Bobby didn't know quite what he was doing. His movements were short and choppy. Kitty zipped past him, laughing, before expertly turning on her toe to face him again.

"Aw, Bobby," she cooed as she made her way back to him.

"It's not nice to tease, Kitty," he said, grumpy now. Kitty was still grinning as she drew level with him. She took both of his hands in hers and brought him down to her for another kiss.

He was considerably less irritated when they parted. Kitty looked up at him with her head tilted back and a smile still playing on her lips. "It's not often I get to see you out of your element," she pointed out. "You bring Mr. Perfect and all."

"That makes you Mrs. Perfect," Bobby retorted.

He thought she might have blushed, but he wasn't entirely sure. It was hard to tell in the moonlight. He did, however, see that grin cross her face again. "Mmm, not yet I'm not."

_'One_ _day_,_' _Bobby found himself thinking. He shook his head quickly in an attempt to rid himself of these thoughts. They were too young to be thinking that way.

"Come on," Kitty offered, tugging one of his hands, "I'll show you."

She went much more slowly this time, still hand in hand with him. He was slightly less clumsy this time around, but he knew it was still far from pretty. Kitty was clearly happy though, and that was all he really wanted.

After a few laps, Kitty released her hold on him. She stayed just in front of him as they skated until it came time for them to turn. Kitty was able to follow the curve of the lake seemingly effortlessly, but Bobby hadn't quite gotten there yet. He tried to take it on too fast, which caused him to not be able to stop in time. He toppled to the ground right at the edge of the lake, feeling the wind knocked from his lungs.

Kitty came back to help, skidding neatly to a stop next to him. She offered Bobby a hand, but feeling mischievous, he pulled her down with him. The petite brunette landed on top of him in a tangle of limbs.

"What was that for?" she demanded.

"Felt like it," Bobby answered cheekily.

She let out an annoyed huff, "I'm going inside."

Kitty attempted to move off of him, but he was still holding onto her hand. He tugged her back into place, her head resting on his chest. "Look up."

She did, a soft sigh escaping her. "Oh," she murmured. The stars were twinkling against the midnight blue sky no different than usual, but it was still a nice sight. Bobby could see the fascination on Kitty's face as she sat up. He followed suit.

"I can't remember the last time I looked at the stars outside of Astronomy," Kitty told him after a few quiet minutes. "Or the last time I did anything fun, for that matter." She leaned against him comfortably and linked her fingers through his. "Thank you for knowing I needed this, Bobby."

"That's my job," he replied. "And you're welcome." He kissed the top of her head.

They sat there for awhile watching the stars until Kitty groaned. He looked to her curiously. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go back inside. Fifth years are only allowed out until nine, remember?"

"Kitty," Bobby began, "have I ever let you get caught breaking curfew?" She shook her head. "What makes you think I'm going to start now?"

"Bobby…"

He pouted for a moment as Kitty stood. "Okay _fine_," he grumbled. Kitty offered him her hand. This time he took it without pulling her down.

The Gryffindor boy, of course, was a bit of an expert at being able to sneak through the castle unseen. His years of friendship with James made that a given. After a very roundabout path, they arrived at Ravenclaw Tower.

Bobby grinned at her. "See? Here you are, with no one the wiser."

She rolled her eyes but offered him a kiss on the cheek anyway. "Goodnight, Bobby."

"Goodnight. _Please_ get some sleep," he added.

"I will. Now go."

He watched her climb the steps until she was no longer visible before starting back to his own dorm, reflecting on the evening.

He could only hope that he had helped.


	21. Chapter 21

**Must Be Magic**

Kitty sat in the Great Hall across from Clarice looking over her schedule for sixth year. Everything looked pretty good to her until Clarice bemoaned the fact that they didn't have any free periods together.

"It's because _you_ insist on taking Divination," Kitty pointed out.

"I find it useful," Clarice replied haughtily.

Kitty scoffed, "You just like Professor LeBeau."

"Maybe it's a little of both," Clarice conceded with a grin. She gave Kitty her schedule back.

She was just wondering if any of her free periods overlapped with Bobby's when a pair of hands covered her eyes. She couldn't fight the grin that tugged at her lips.

"Hey, you," Kitty greeted. Bobby uncovered her eyes and plopped down next to her. She offered him her cheek. He planted a kiss on it before reaching for a plate of bacon and helping himself.

"You have your own," Clarice protested from her side of the table. She put her elbows on the table and leaned across to steal the bacon back. Bobby made a face at her. "Oh, that's very mature, Mr. Head Boy," Clarice continued.

"Play nicely, you two," Kitty warned. She leaned over to readjust the silver badge on Bobby's chest so that it hung straight. The brunette girl couldn't help the proud smile that crossed her face.

Clarice looked revolted. "You two should just get married already," she declared.

Kitty's cheeks burned. She didn't respond to her friend, turning instead to Bobby. "Let me see your schedule."

He did as she'd asked, reaching into his bag and coming out with the roll of parchment. Kitty looked it over carefully. "We have a free period together on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"I'm sure we'll put it to good use," Bobby replied with a grin. "Hey, are you done with breakfast yet?"

She nodded. "Why?" she asked.

He didn't answer but instead took her by the hand and pulled her up from the bench. He tugged her along in his wake through the Great Hall.

The longer they went, the less amused Kitty became. "Bobby," she demanded, "where are we going? You know I don't like surprises."

"You'll see," he all but sang, grinning at her over his shoulder. Kitty let out an annoyed huff as they rounded a corner.

She tried again. "Bobby, my first class today is Potions. It's going to take me ages to get there from here…"

The Gryffindor boy came to an abrupt spot in front of the door to the Transfiguration classroom. He looked at her expectantly. Bobby's face fell as Kitty only gave him a blank stare in return.

"You don't remember?" he asked. A note of hurt made its way into his voice.

"Remember what?"

"It's our anniversary," Bobby said with a slight shake of his head, as if it should have been obvious.

Kitty arched an eyebrow. "Our anniversary is in July. Today must be your anniversary with your other girlfriend," she teased.

He grinned now. "I can't believe you don't remember."

The petite Ravenclaw was seriously getting annoyed with him. "What oh so important event have I forgotten?" Kitty demanded.

"It's the anniversary of the day we met," the blond boy explained. "Five years ago right here in this spot."

Kitty hadn't even considered that, but she supposed it was true. "You're right," she said. A smile found its way to her face.

He smiled back. "I can't _believe_ I remembered something you didn't," Bobby commented. "Maybe the Sorting Hat should have put me in Ravenclaw."

"Let's not get crazy," Kitty replied. But she smiled again and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

He responded in a way she hadn't been expecting. Instead of the usual more innocent kisses they exchanged in public, this one was different from the start. Bobby held her face in his hands and gently pushed her back against the wall.

"Bobby," Kitty murmured, breaking the kiss, "give a girl some warning next time, okay?"

He grinned at that before quickly whipping his head side to side. "No one saw," he assured her before kissing her again. His hands wandered down to her waist.

Kitty was vaguely aware of her school bag falling to the floor as she kissed him back with equal passion. It wasn't often that they had a chance to be together like this. It seemed like there was always someone or something trying to keep them apart.

Her fingers had just knotted themselves in Bobby's sandy hair when they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The two sprang apart to see Professors Grey and Summers staring at them. Professor Grey looked mildly amused, but Professor Summers's expression was pained.

"Miss Pryde, Mr. Drake, I'm sure you know by now that this is not the kind of behavior Hogwarts expects from its prefects and its Head Boy."

Professor Grey patted his arm. Kitty wondered if she was thinking about their own school years. "I think we can let them off with a warning," she said. "Though Professor Summers is right. Discretion is always highly appreciated."

Kitty was certain her face was red again. "Yes, Professor Grey."

The professors split up then as Professor Grey went into her classroom. Professor Summers went on his way. Once he was gone, Bobby turned his attention back to her. There was a smirk on his face.

"Bobby," she hissed, "I hope you know that won't be happening again anytime soon."

"We aren't in trouble," he protested. The smirk found its way back to his features. "And besides, you weren't complaining a few minutes ago."

She rolled her eyes. "I have to get to Potions. I'll see you later."

"And I have DADA. With Professor Summers, who probably won't be able to make eye contact with me all lesson," he replied.

Kitty gathered up her bag and offered him a brief peck on the cheek. "Bye," she called over her shoulder.

"Hey, Kit?"

She turned to face him, still walking backwards.

"Happy anniversary."

Kitty smiled. "Happy anniversary."


End file.
